Things Unseen

. . . we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NASB)

The text above is from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth.  In this passage, he discusses the unseen hope that followers of Jesus share. 

Paul begins by attesting that Christians “do not lose heart.”  Why not?  “Though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.”  I heard someone say once that from the time we’re born, we’re dying.  It’s a matter of perspective.  A friend I recently met through email, who has a terminal disease, told me he likes to remind others that they, too, are terminal.  We are all in a state of decay.  With ALS, I become a little less capable each day.  Some people, especially those who have terminal diseases, are decaying faster than others.  But to experience inner renewal, there is but one name:  Jesus! 

Paul further explains, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison.”  For those who have called upon the name of the Lord and are saved, what we go through and experience now is nothing compared to the glory we’ll experience later in heaven, in the New Jerusalem!  I can’t wait!  The reunions we’ll experience . . .  Jan Catton has told me we’ll meet inside the Pearly Gates.  It’s never too early to begin planning!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 image.  Found at Learn Religions, https://www.learnreligions.com/look-to-the-unseen-day-26-701778

Finally, “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”  Our hope lies in the things we can’t see now.  “This world has nothing for me.”  My hope lies not in a political party, government, nor the institutions of man.  My hope is in the Lord, and the promises of God that I read in my Bible. I stand on those promises of everlasting life which only Jesus can fulfill.  

Paul says that the things we see now are “temporal.”  Jesus-followers long for the things unseen, which are “eternal.”  One of the tasks Jesus is performing right now is preparing a dwelling place in the New Jerusalem for those who believe in Him.  This is one of the things we cannot see now, but for which we hope.  New Jerusalem is described in the book of Revelation, and oh, what a place it will be!  “The things which are not seen are eternal,” and they will be glorious to those who know Him! 

Worship:  “Rescue,” by Desperation Band