“And we eagerly wait for a Savior”
You don't have to have 20-20 vision to stay focused.
My eyesight is poor. I wear contacts. For that matter, I wear reading glasses over my contacts! Yes, it is that bad. When my contacts are out and my glasses are off, my focus is way out of whack. You don't want me on the highway. But, I have discovered there are things other than glasses that can throw off my vision. Suffering is one of them.
These “COVID-19 days,” there is a lot of that! How do we overcome?
Paul, no stranger to difficulties and suffering, shares a very important truth about suffering and how to orient our lives in light of it. He shares this to keep us UP when life has us DOWN. This comes from his letter to the Romans:
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ”
Difficulties have a way of clouding our vision. Paul knew this from personal experience. Interestingly, Paul's solution to difficult days is not, “Change your circumstances!”
That is good to hear when a coronavirus virus has you on house arrest, and changing anything seems near impossible. Instead, Paul urges us to change our focus. Commenting on this passage, R.H. Mounce notes,
As a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20) he realized that his earthly life was but a moment in time in comparison with eternity. Not only that, but the glory of the coming age will be qualitatively distinct from the trials of the present. If we allow the difficulties of life to absorb our attention, they will effectively blot out the glory that awaits us.
When Mounce referenced Philippians 3, I had to turn over and take a fresh look. Here's what Paul says:
13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, 14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way....17 Join in imitating me, brothers and sisters, and pay careful attention to those who live according to the example you have in us. 18 For I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction; their god is their stomach; their glory is in their shame. They are focused on earthly things, 20 but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:13-20 CSB
I belong to the tribe that loses focus when times get tough. That's why I need to remember these words:
Don't let present circumstances distract you. v13
My heart goes out to the victims of COVID-19 on every level. How can a microscopic speck pin an entire world to the mat? It’s mind-boggling. I’m dumbfounded. I can understand why people get lost in worry, frustration, and anger. So we grieve, we pray, we help where we can, and we move forward! How? By fixing our thoughts on Christ who cares for us in our present distress and will one day overcome all evil and heal all pain.Imitate great examples of Christian faith. v17
There is “nothing new under the sun,” including tough times and people who respond well to them. Heroes of the faith provide a walk to emulate . Take Martin Luther. Not perfect by a long shot, yet Luther’s faith in the midst of difficulties was unwavering. I repeat here what I shared a few days ago. In the face of the Black Death, Luther said:"I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance inflict and pollute others and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbor needs me however I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely as stated above. See this is such a God-fearing faith because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God."
God wants us to be the Martin Luther’s of our day, leaving an example for others to follow..
Remember your true citizenship. v20
Shannan and I went for a walk the other day. Honestly, It's tough to think about the new heaven and the new earth when you meandering through a gorgeous Pennsylvania Spring. Trees blooming under blue skies, delightful weather, and a little picturesque farmland to enjoy.
Full disclosure: I am not among those in a hurry to get to glory! I enjoy God’s creation and, despite the difficulties, I am loving these days! My challenge is remembering that as nice as this is “down here,” it pales in comparison to “up there”. Keeping my eyes on my true citizenship helps me stay focused.Keep your eyes FIXED on the Lord Jesus Christ. v20
I started to write, "keep your eyes on Jesus," but realized that Paul used the full title: Lord (owner-ruler), Jesus (Jehovah saves), Christ (Anointed One). Jesus alone upholds the universe. Jesus alone brings salvation. Jesus alone is God's anointed Messiah. Jesus alone will put the world right. Jesus alone promises (and delivers) peace. Keeping my eyes fixed on the true Hero of the Story keeps me focused.
Difficulties distract me. They throw off my vision. I easily lose sight of God and his care. I can get discouraged, depressed, and start to doubt. On these days, I want to change my circumstances.
God wants to change my focus.
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Notes:
If you need a little back story on the challenges he faced, read Acts 9:23-25, 2 Corinthians 1:8-11, 2 Corinthians 4:7-12, and 2 Corinthians 11:16-33.
"As a citizen of heaven..." from Mounce, R. H. (1995). Vol. 27: Romans. The New American Commentary (184). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
"Suffering provides the gym ..." from Suffering: Making Sense of Suffering by Joni Eareckson Tada.