ALWAYS REJOICING By Lakan Mariano ...sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. 2 Corinthians 6:10 We started not far from the castle at Glen Eyrie, headquarters of the Navigator Ministry located on the north end of the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. Micah, Josh and I followed the stream up the mountain. The climb was so steep at times we had to get on all fours and literally crawl. Rocks and Fir branches and other barriers scraped and tore at our clothes and skins. On the first level clearing we were rewarded with a majestic water fall cascading to a very cold but beautiful, clear pool. Hours later we returned to our cabin bloodied with scrapes and bruises, our leg muscles aching. Mom! That was so neat! the boys exclaimed to Kim. Dad, can we do it again? A great purpose worth pursuing will give you joy in spite of the pains and struggles you go through. The Apostle Paul was driven by the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. He did not mind the suffering and the hardships he went through for the sake of the Gospel. His ministry was not validated by a fancy lifestyle. Instead, he said, as God’s servants, we have commended ourselves in every way, with great endurance, in persecutions, in difficulties, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in hunger (6:4-5). The Corinthian believers were part of the fruit of the Gospel ministry that Paul did. So through them, the visible fruit of his work, he was able to experience joy. I have great confidence in you; I take great pride on your behalf. I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in the midst of all our suffering (7:4). When we look at the big picture of Gods redemptive work, we can join Paul in seeing our troubles and hardships in proper perspective. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day. These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever (4:16-18, TLB). By the way, Micah, Josh, and later Rachel, and I trudged back up that mountain. And several other similar mountains. Overflowing with joy in spite of the scrapes and the bruises and aching muscles.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 12:24:14 +0000
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