7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self [1] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Sometimes we tend to think that Christians are impervious to trouble when we should understand that it actually brings trouble towards us. When you get saved you are actually transferred from one Kingdom to another. So know you are a foreigner in the land you live in. Even though the Lord grants us favor and supernatural provision we are still at war with spirits and principalities that are at work in the minds of unbelievers.
So many people I've talked to recently have shared their urge to throw in the towel. Many people are growing weary and I won't lie when I say that I've contemplated the same thoughts of casting aside the faith in hopes of a better and easier life. I had one dear brother say that it just seems easier to do the wrong thing than continue to do the right thing. He said he just felt like he was alone on an island and everyone was watching to see what he would do.
If you look above at the words of the Apostle Paul, not me but the other Paul, you see him describing the difficulties he endured in his own life. Paul said because he preached the Gospel, his life was constantly in danger, but he did such things in order that the power and grace of God could be made manifest, or displayed, in and around him. My favorite part of what he said is verse 12 "So death is at work in us, but life in you." and on over into verse 15 "For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God."
The reason we have the word of life today is because someone before us endured and suffered persecution in order that we may come to the truth. I'm not only speaking of the founding Apostles but other heroes of the faith through the ages as well. You wont find all of them in the bible or in history books or Christian literature, but they are there. They may not have been killed and imprisoned but they may have endured public shame and humiliation, ridicule, among many other things.
Paul says that he doesn't loose heart over those things though because it was all for the cause of making Christ known so that worship would be given to God. He continues saying that his focus isn't on these troubles anyway because they will eventually disappear but his focus is on the eternal things. Those eternal things being his expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus and the pursuit making the gospel known so that more can believe and be saved.
All of us may not have our life threatened everyday for the sake of the Gospel, but we all encounter difficulties of some form because we have placed our faith in Christ. One thing I would like to encourage you in is this. We must hold fast to the testimony of Jesus because we never know who is watching us. We never know when our steadfastness under trials and persections will sway the unbeliever to faith in Christ. Don't be dismayed, because the trials you encounter today will one day be over, the ones who sneer at you and mock you will one day perish, but the one you proclaim and believe in has died once and lives now to never die again. To throw away the precious faith you proclaim on something that will one day perish is foolish.
What has been designed to kill you, smother you and put your fire out, God will use as a testimony to the weak and the unbeliever, that is if you endure and believe until the end. If you have stumbled and fallen there is grace and forgivness, but get back up and run the race without fear for he is coming for you and we want to be found waiting on him.
