The BEST Is Yet to Come!

“The true Christian expects to have his reward in the next life and to endure hardness in this. The promise of the old covenant was prosperity, but the promise of the new covenant is adversity.” – C.H. Spurgeon

Far too often, we look at a rich person and think that they have found favor with God. Maybe they have and maybe they haven’t, because we don’t actually know the source of their material “blessings”. Was their wealth simply passed down from one generation to the next… or were their riches accumulated through less than honest means? It’s hard to tell by just looking at a person and not knowing their heart.

Along the same lines, we may look at a poor person and conclude that their poverty is the result of some sin in their life. Once again, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t. If they are spending their money on drugs, alcohol, gambling, and fast living, then there is a direct correlation. However, some righteous people wind up poor due to no fault of their own. The death of a spouse, a health crisis, or the loss of a job can cause anyone to suffer financial hardship, so it’s best that we don’t judge a “book by its cover”.

Such was the case with Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16. Lazarus had health issues that caused him to beg for a living, whereas the rich man lived in opulence and splendor. And yet, when Lazarus died, he was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom, a place of peace, rest, and comfort. Conversely, upon his death, the rich man’s body was buried but his spirit descended to a place of indescribable pain and torment.

I find it especially telling in this story that Lazarus, the poor man, is referred to by his name whereas the rich man is anonymous. It’s as if Jesus is saying that He has a personal relationship with the former beggar, but the rich man is a total stranger to Him.

If that doesn’t poke holes in the modern-day heresy known as the “prosperity gospel”, I don’t know what does. Meanwhile, here is what Charles Spurgeon say about the value of enduring hardship for the Lord’s sake.

“Affliction works out precious results… the Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations because as his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ Jesus.”

“Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod. Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Fear not, but rather rejoice that such fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be weaned from earth and made meet for heaven; you will be delivered from clinging to the present and made to long for those eternal things that are so soon to be revealed to you. When you feel that as regards the present you do serve God for nothing, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the future.”

In other words, for the unbeliever, the best is here and now. However, for the believer, the best is yet to come!

“For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.” 2 Corinthians 4:17 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President