Try the latest Words of Life as Spotify Podcasts.

Tip: To see latest Words of Life, use Refine Search to list by Year. If using Mobile device, Refine Search may be located at end of page.

“I only believe what I see!” Often one has heard this saying, probably thoughtless spoken, as it contains a contradiction in itself. Because I see, I do not necessarily have to believe in it, I know that. But this declaration marks the situation of a man who has experienced promises and agreements with many disappointments and therefore does not trust anybody anymore, unless absolute convincing evidence is proved. On great promises he will not rely anymore. Sorry to say, this mistrust in human references has always found enough nourishment out of most diverse reasons. But, is the sight and touching for man often not enough? A sick person feels and sees his condition. What would he be, without the hope of the success of the treatment, which is for him the expected healing result?

There is something in the belief in God and Christ, that He gives us the promise of attaining a glorious goal, the everlasting dimension. That is why the acknowledgment of Apostle Paul’s such great help to take heed and thought, which is written in so wonderful words. Apostle Paul suffered a lot, as it is made known to us in many parts of his letters. Though man does not like to think on this, the natural life comes to its end sometime, but he is not sad about this, on the contrary. This realization, thinking soberly, every person will have to face, but makes him able to look ahead and keep his eyes fixed to his future. Decisive for him is not; this life which he has to lead on earth, but that what is awaiting him. For him the certainty of his future lays not in the visible (man’s certainty often is only illusion), rather much more in the godly promise to partake of the eternal glory, made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His resurrection and remaining in the succession of the Lord. It is this expectation that lives in every true Christian.

Apostle Paul looks past the earthly life and he holds fast on that what is promised of the true life. “Who has the Son of God, he has the life”, we read in 1 John 5: 12. This again means nothing else but that already here in this earthly life we can expect the working of God. And exactly that Apostle Paul has experienced in his life, in spite of tribulations and great need. Only because of this, he could overcome the trials of life and look with joy and courage into the future. A thought could well up: Could he have saved himself a lot of suffering if he would have acted in a more skillful natural way? But certainly yes, he could have done that.  The work of the Lord in his life would have been much less or may be not at all noticeable and he could not have pointed us to this glorious future with such sureness. Now this is clear, the experience and the word of Apostle Paul are important to us only, when we realize and are convinced that God wills that all mankind be helped and they come to the acknowledgment of the truth. (1 Tim. 2:4) The expectation of an eternal glory in the heavenly homeland is what God wants to mediate to all people, therefore has He sent His Son into this world to enable men – like Paul to proclaim this.
It really depends on our openness for the Holy Spirit to work, that our life, which we are allowed to live in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Heavenly Father, becomes richer from day to day. The closer we come to our God, the greater is the anticipated joy for that which He has prepared for them that love Him. This joy shall take none from us, we beg God for this. Apostle Paul wants to press home to all mankind, that he did not build on a “Fata Morgana”, but on the unseen actual fact on which one can firmly count. God be thanked that we don’t have to remain in the wretchedness with those who acknowledge only the visible as reality.