This is Temporary

2 Corinthians 4:18 We look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

It's sometimes frustrating to pull up to your favorite ATM or even Gas station, get ready to retrieve what you need when you are on empty and read “temporarily out of order.” Why today? why me? When are they going to get this fixed? We don’t live in a perfect world. Things break down, and need to be fixed. WE cannot lose heart when things break because what we see is just temporary. Instead, we should focus on what is eternal.

This world we live in is temporarily out of order. The global economy is out of whack; there are wars and rumors of wars, no universal healthcare, and poverty and world hunger. TI’s out of order! On a personal note many people find their own lives “temporarily out of order.” What used to work ain't working no more and it is frustrating especially when you can’t fix it yourself, but the good news is God can fix it!

Verse 17 is the answer: For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of Glory beyond all measure. This ain’t it! Don’t get stuck on what you see! God is preparing you for something you can’t handle right now. Oftentimes, when we hear that, we think of something foreboding that God is preparing us for but actually it’s something good, the “weight of God’s Glory.”

Our afflictions are making us stronger to be able to hold the weight of God’s Glory. Every day we are being transformed into God’s image from one degree of Glory to another for this comes from the Lord the Spirit. (I Cor 3:18). So don’t be dismayed by what you see but be encouraged by what you do not see for your latter shall be greater. This is just temporary!

Dear God, keep me focused on things eternal so that I will hold to your unchanging hand. I will build my hopes on things eternal and quit focusing on the temporary. Thank you for restoring order back to my life.

In Jesus Name,
Amen