“I am comforted by this truth, that when we suffer and die for Christ it only means that we will begin living with Him in heaven. And if we think that our present service for Him is hard, just remember that some day we are going to sit with Him and rule with Him. But if we give up when we suffer, and turn against Christ, then He must turn against us. Even when we are too weak to have any faith left, He remains faithful to us and will help us, for He cannot disown us who are part of Himself, and He will always carry out His promises to us.”
(2 Timothy 2:11-13 – The Living Bible)
God is faithful to His children, and although we may suffer great hardships here, He promises that someday we will live eternally with Him. What will this involve? It means believers will live in Christ’s Kingdom, and that we will share in the administration of that Kingdom. This was Paul’s comfort as he went through suffering and death, and it can be ours, too. Are you facing hardships? Don’t turn away from God – He promises you a wonderful future with Him. For more information about living eternally with God, see Matthew 16:24-27; 19:28-29; Luke 22:28-30; Romans 5:17; 6:8; 8:10, 11, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:42-58; Colossians 3:3-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 3:21; 21:1-22:21.
Jesus will stay by our side even when we have endured so much that we seem to have no faith left. We may be faithless at times, but Jesus remains faithful to His promise to be with us always, “even to the end of the world” (see Matthew 28:20; Romans 8:38-39).
