09 14 07 Keep An Eternal Perspective

“Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that – whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent – I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. This is a sign of their destruction, but of your salvation – a sign which is from God. For it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for him, since you are encountering the same conflict that you saw me face and now hear that I am facing. (Philippians 1:27-30)

We all know how Paul suffered. He also pleaded with those he taught to suffer along with him……for Christ’s sake! We can’t expect to be pain free, anxiety free, or disaster free in the world we live in today. We have to KEEP AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. It’s no different than in Paul’s day. We are faced with one decision after another, one emergency, one illness, a death in the family; something will come up which challenges our faith.

Here are Charles Swindoll’s wise words:

I am going to challenge you to keep an eternal perspective even though you are surrounded by a host of success-oriented individuals who are urging you to ignore your conscience and grab all you can now. You want joy? You really want what is best? Simply consider yourself having different priorities than your associates and go God’s way. His is the most reliable route to follow when life gets complicated. It will have its tough moments, but you will never regret it.


As James reminds us, we are not to suffer in vain. Things happen in this world at times simply because of the sin in our very nature. Other tings happen as a consequence to sinful behavior. We are also affected by things simply by association. Regardless, we are to be reminded to honor God in all we do…..even in suffering and other such trials. We have the Holy Spirit; we have the example of folks like Paul; we have each other; we are not alone! Imagine the satisfaction we will get knowing we honored the Lord through it all. Imagine the witness we portray to others as to the power, mercy, and love of God as we go through. Imagine the “well done” we’ll hear on the other side when greeted by our Savior!