"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Cor. 4:17).
Posted : 24 Sep, 2011 02:01 PM
Devotional
In what respects will it be a glory revealed in us?
It will be the glory of perfect knowledge. "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known" (1 Cor. 13:12). Oh, what a brilliant orb of intellectual light each glorified mind will be! What capacity of understanding it will develop�what range of thought it will compass�what perfection of knowledge it will attain! How all mysteries will then be unraveled, and all problems then be solved, and all discrepancies then be reconciled; and every truth of God's revelation, every event of God's providence, every decision of God's government, stand out more transparent and resplendent than ten thousand suns. In your present search for spiritual knowledge, do you deplore the darkness of your mind, the feebleness of your memory�the impaired, dimmed, and exhausted energy of your mental faculties? Oh, rejoice in hope of the glory that is to be revealed in you, when all your intellectual powers will be renewed as the eagle's strength; developed, sanctified, and perfected, to a degree outstripping even the mightiest angel in heaven. Then shall we know God and Christ, and truth, and providence, and ourselves, even as now we are known.
It will also be a glory in us of perfect holiness. The kingdom within us will then be complete; the good work of grace will then be perfected. It will be the consummation of holiness, the perfection of purity. No more sin! The conscience will no longer be sullied, the thoughts no more defiled, the affections no more ensnared. But a glory of holiness�dazzling and resplendent, beyond an angel's�revealed in us. "Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is" (1 John 3:2).
The glory of perfect happiness will be the certain effect of perfect sanctity. The completeness of Christ is the completeness of moral purity. Let it be spoken with reverence�God himself could not be perfectly happy if he were not a perfectly holy Being. The radiance of the glorified countenance of the saints will be the reflection of holy thoughts and holy feelings glowing within. Joy and peace and full satisfaction will beam from every nook and cranny, because every faculty and feeling and emotion of the soul will be in perfect unison with the will of God. They will be in perfect conformity to the image of God. Who can paint the happiness of that world from where everything is banished that could sully its purity, disturb its harmony, and ruffle its repose; where everything is included that corresponds with its sanctity, harmonizes with its grandeur, and heightens its bliss?
Oh, yes! it will be a glory revealed in us. The glory of the Father's adoption�the glory of Christ's atonement�the glory of the Spirit's regeneration, radiating from a poor fallen son of Adam�a sinner redeemed, renewed, and saved. And what is each present ray of heavenly light, each thrill of divine love, each victory of indwelling grace, and each glimpse of the upper world, but the foreshadowings of the glory yet to be revealed in us?
When suffering and glory are thus put side by side, contrasted and weighed, to what conclusion does our apostle arrive? "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us." No, not worthy of a comparison. Do we measure their relative duration? Then, our light affliction is but for a moment, while our glory is a far more exceeding and eternal weight. Before long all suffering and sorrow will forever have passed away�a thing of history and of memory only�while glory will deepen and expand as eternity rolls on its endless ages. Do we weigh them? How does the weight of the cross compare to the weight of the crown? Compare the present "light affliction" to the future "exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Are they worthy to be compared? Oh, no! One second of glory will extinguish a whole life-time of suffering!
What are long years of toil, of sickness, of battle with poverty, persecution, and sorrow in every form, closing even with a martyr's death, compared to one sip of the river of pleasure at Christ's right hand�to one breath of Paradise�to one wave of heaven's glory�to one embrace of Jesus�to one glimpse of God? Oh, what are the pangs of present separation compared to the joy of future reunion? What are the pinchings of poverty now compared to the untold riches then? What are the suffering, and gloom, and contempt of the present time compared to the glory that is to be revealed in us?
Tell us, you spirits of just men made perfect�if it is lawful, if it is possible�what is the glory that awaits us is! Tell us what it is to be an unclothed spirit�to dwell in the bosom of Jesus�to see God�to be perfectly holy�to be supremely happy!
Wait, my soul! Before long it will be all revealed!
by Octavius Winslow, 1856 (edited for
today's reader by Larry E. Wilson, 2010)
Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to thy God to order and provide;
in ev'ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav'nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shalt thou better know his love, his heart,
who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
from his own fullness all he takes away.
Be still, my soul: the hour is hast'ning on
when we shall be for ever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and bless�d we shall meet at last.
(Katharina von Schlegel, b. 1697; tr. by Jane Borthwick, 1855)
