"I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory." Ephesians 3:13 (NIV)
God will Use
My Suffering for the Benefit of Others
Paul was not just enduring the suffering he faced for his own benefit. You’ll notice that he writes that he is suffering on behalf of others – in this case those who were reading his letter. This really fits in with the whole theme of Chapter 3 so far. When God calls us to be part of His family, he does that not just for our own benefit, but also for the benefit of the rest of his family.
When Kreg Kenton passed, many of you stood tall and helped a
lady who needed help who couldn’t do it herself; even some of you who were
hurting yourself went and helped. That’s a pretty good picture of life isn’t
it? Often the ones of us who are suffering are doing it for the benefit of
others. And they rarely get recognized for their efforts because they aren’t
here to get the glory on this earth any way. Paul was not just enduring the suffering he faced for his own benefit. You’ll notice that he writes that he is suffering on behalf of others – in this case those who were reading his letter. This really fits in with the whole theme of Chapter 3 so far. When God calls us to be part of His family, he does that not just for our own benefit, but also for the benefit of the rest of his family.
Suffering is a Key to Sharing in God’s Glory
I really struggled with the last phrase of our passage. It seems to me that Paul must have meant to write that his sufferings were for God’s glory. But by now, we know that Paul writes what he means. So what does Paul mean when he writes that his sufferings are for the glory of his readers?
I think one of Paul’s other letters very clearly answers that question:
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:17, 18 (NIV)
I really struggled with the last phrase of our passage. It seems to me that Paul must have meant to write that his sufferings were for God’s glory. But by now, we know that Paul writes what he means. So what does Paul mean when he writes that his sufferings are for the glory of his readers?
I think one of Paul’s other letters very clearly answers that question:
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:17, 18 (NIV)
There is a very clear connection here between God’s glory and the future glory
that will be experienced by God’s children. Paul writes that it is God’s glory
that will one day be revealed in us and that sufferings we go through play a
role in that process.
When we looked at our spiritual blessings in Christ in Ephesians 1, we saw that there is a past, present and future aspect of our salvation:
• In the past, I was justified, or made right with God. That is a onetime event that happened at the moment I became a follower of Jesus Christ
• Right now I am being sanctified. This is a process in which I am being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ day by day. And that’s where suffering enters into the process as God uses those difficulties to help mold our lives.
• One day I will be glorified. I will experience the complete fulfillment of all the spiritual riches that God has promised to me.
That’s what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
When we looked at our spiritual blessings in Christ in Ephesians 1, we saw that there is a past, present and future aspect of our salvation:
• In the past, I was justified, or made right with God. That is a onetime event that happened at the moment I became a follower of Jesus Christ
• Right now I am being sanctified. This is a process in which I am being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ day by day. And that’s where suffering enters into the process as God uses those difficulties to help mold our lives.
• One day I will be glorified. I will experience the complete fulfillment of all the spiritual riches that God has promised to me.
That’s what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV) “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
We are able to reflect God’s glory because we have unrestricted access into His presence through Jesus. That’s a
direct result of our justification. Right now, we are being transformed into
the likeness with ever increasing glory. That’s the process of sanctification.
And that process is leading to the day when we will experience the glory of God
in full. That will be glorification. Because it is in the sanctification part
of the process that we experience suffering, most of us would just as soon skip
that part of the process and go right to the glorification part. But that’s not
how God has chosen to work.
The key to enjoying the (rain or suffering) is to look at it as part of the process of producing a rainbow in your life. Most of us really don’t like suffering. But the key to dealing with that suffering is to view it as part of God’s eternal plan. We need to view our troubles as God’s work in our life and in the lives of others so that we can share in His glory. You are loved!
The key to enjoying the (rain or suffering) is to look at it as part of the process of producing a rainbow in your life. Most of us really don’t like suffering. But the key to dealing with that suffering is to view it as part of God’s eternal plan. We need to view our troubles as God’s work in our life and in the lives of others so that we can share in His glory. You are loved!
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