Good morning: Are you a coffee connoisseur? Have you compared Starbucks with Alterra and Caribou with Colectivo? You may have your favorite based on the roasts and flavor profiles you prefer; but in many ways they are all similar. On the other hand, there are some things which are so dramatically different that there really is no comparison. Changes and discomfort over nine months of pregnancy may not be pleasant. They may even seem endless. But really, they are not worth comparing with the joy of a child’s birth. Likewise, Paul wrote, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Rom. 8:18). Earthly life is seldom carefree. Even the best days have their annoyances and setbacks. Hurts and sicknesses, losses and disappointments remind us that sin has infected all of creation. Believers have crosses of persecution to bear as they follow Jesus. It is not easy to be verbally attacked for stating that Jesus is the Son of God and the only way to heaven, or to be excluded from a group because you won’t go along with something contrary to the Lord’s will. Yet all those things are not worth comparing with what God has in store for us. The trials of this life may seem endless, but how can even 100 years of earthly life be compared to eternal life? The troubles of the present are hard to endure. The Apostle Paul prayed for relief from a thorn in the flesh. Still, in spite of physical pain, imprisonment, shipwrecks, and more, it was not worth mentioning in the same breath as the crown of glory Jesus has won for all. With another day’s blessings and challenges before us, may we keep in mind that they can’t begin to compare with what the Lord has in store for us by His grace. “Therefore we do not lose heart...For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all...For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18). Yours in Christ, Pastor Services tomorrow are at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. The children will sing in first service. Sunday school is at 9:15 a.m. and adult Bible class at 9:30 a.m. The public school confirmation class meets after second service.
