The Ultimate Snapshot 终极的景象

[Dexu Xia]

Therefore we do not lose heart. 2 Corinthians 4:16

Today's Scripture  2 Corinthians 4:7-18

 Today's Insights

The encouragement about suffering that the apostle Paul expresses in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 is similarly noted in Romans 8: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (v. 18). How encouraging it is to know that as believers in Jesus in a fallen world, we’ve been given God’s Spirit (v. 23) to be with us as we traverse life’s pleasant and unpleasant territory. When we face trials, the Bible reminds us that they’re “achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Today's Devotion

Before our trip to Switzerland, my mental snapshot was of snowy Alps, goats grazing, and mountain farmers blowing alpine horns. However, as we drove south from Zurich, the landscape was the same drab tangle of highways we saw in any city. When we got close to our lodging, we had to drive up a precarious one-lane dirt road. At our rental place, we hauled our suitcases up steep stone stairways. Exhausted and disappointed, we finally made our way onto the patio. And there, opening up before us, stretched an extraordinary vista: the Alps rising up majestically over the blue expanse of Lake Lucerne, with small towns glittering like fireflies below us. The ordeal was worth it.

I recalled the verse, “Therefore we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The apostle Paul writes of his own struggles: “We are hard pressed on every side, but . . . not in despair” (v. 8). He reveals his positive outlook: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (v. 17). He advises us to “fix our eyes . . . on what is unseen” (v. 18), to hope for that eternal landscape.

Sometimes our journey is drab and difficult. But in Christ, we’re assured that we’ll witness the ultimate snapshot. The ordeal will be worth it: His eternal glory far surpasses anything we can imagine.

Reflect & Pray

What are the difficult roads in your life these days? What does “eternal glory” mean to you?

Loving God, I need encouragement through this tough journey. I pray for assurance of Your eternal glory.

 By Kenneth Perterson

 

 所以，我们不丧胆。（哥林多后书 4:16）

今日经文：哥林多后书 4章7-18 节

今日感悟 使徒保罗在哥林多后书 4:7-18 中关于苦难的勉励，与罗马书 8 章中的教导遥相呼应：“我想，现在的苦楚若比起将来要显于我们的荣耀，就不足介意了”（18 节）。作为身处堕落世界、信靠耶稣的人，我们已领受了圣灵（23 节）的同在，祂陪伴我们走过人生的顺境与逆境，这实在令人倍感鼓舞。当我们面对试炼时，圣经提醒我们，这些试炼正在“为我们成就极重无比、永远的荣耀”（哥林多后书 4:17）。

 今日灵修 在前往瑞士旅行之前，我脑海中预想的画面是白雪皑皑的阿尔卑斯山、悠闲吃草的山羊，以及吹奏阿尔卑斯长号的山区农夫。然而，当我们从苏黎世向南行驶时，沿途的景象却与任何城市无异，尽是单调乏味、错综复杂的高速公路。快到住处时，我们不得不沿着一条险峻的单车道土路向上行驶。抵达租住地后，我们还得提着行李箱爬上陡峭的石阶。尽管疲惫又失望，我们最终还是来到了露台上。就在那一刻，一幅非凡的景象展现在我们眼前：阿尔卑斯山巍然耸立在蔚蓝的卢塞恩湖畔，山下的小镇宛如萤火虫般闪烁着点点光芒。这一景象使我觉得一路的艰辛都是值得的。

  我不禁想起那句经文：“所以，我们不丧胆”（哥林多后书 4:16）。使徒保罗曾描述过自己的挣扎：“我们四面受敌，却不被困住，心里作难，却不至失望，遭逼迫，却不被丢弃，打倒了却不至死亡”（8 节）。此段经文展现了保罗积极的心态：“我们这至暂至轻的苦楚，要为我们成就极重无比、永远的荣耀”（17 节）。他劝勉我们要“定睛于……那看不见的”（18 节），去盼望那永恒的景象。

  有时，我们的人生旅途既单调又艰难。但在基督里，我们确信自己将目睹那终极的荣耀景象。祂那永恒的荣耀远超我们所能想象的一切，这使我们一路的磨难都变得非常地有值得。

 反思与祷告  近来，你生活中面临着哪些艰难的道路？“永恒的荣耀”对你而言意味着什么？ 慈爱的神，在这段艰难的旅程中，我需要力量与鼓舞。我祈求您帮助我确信祢那永恒的荣耀。

作者：肯尼斯·彼得森