We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that can’t be seen. The things that can be seen don’t last, but the things that can’t be seen are eternal.
Reflection
Verse 7 of this chapter refers to our bodies as “clay pots” and the subsequent verses leading up to verse 18 speak about the things that happen to that body – we are harassed, we are knocked down. They speak to the fact that we carry Jesus’ death in our bodies so that his life may be seen through us – we are resilient, we are renewed every day by the Spirit, and we will have an eternal stockpile of glory one day.
Verses 12 and 13 speak to the fact that our bodies are dying, but life is at work within us because we have faith. We all know that we have a limited time here on earth and nobody knows what that length of time is, but these verses encourage us to live so that we may encourage others with our faith in Christ.
Today is the one-year anniversary of our sister-in-law’s death, and I believe she will be with Christ for eternity. When we think about this verse, we focus on eternal life – our reward for our faith. But isn’t our faith itself also unseen? Of course, it should come out in our actions – “they will know we are Christians by our love,” but isn’t our faith and how we live that out what really makes an eternal difference? What we give or do for others may not last – clothing wears out, money is spent, food is eaten. But our kindness, our generosity, our caring can make an impact on someone’s life that we may never see. It may lead that person to a newfound faith or a return to faith in Christ, and doesn’t that make an eternal difference in their life and in the world?
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
What are your thoughts on why we do the things we do as Christians? Is it to have the reward of eternity with Christ? Is it to live as Christ taught us? Is it a bit of both or something else?
Prayer: God of eternity, yes, we want to spend eternity with you, and we thank you for giving us the faith that we will. While we are here, help us to focus on what we can accomplish for your kin-dom whether we see the results or not. In Jesus’ name, amen.
