2 Corinthians 4:1-18
Jesus With Us
1 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
John 14:1-3
Jesus With Us
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Jesus the night before His arrest makes it clear to His disciples that He had to leave and go to heaven...The disciples are troubled and in despair, knowing something is about to happen...The opposition is building against their Teacher...He tries to comfort them...He promises He would be back for them...He would prepare a place for them, and if He prepared such a place for them, He would come back and take them with Him...Then they will be with Him, and where He is they will be also...St. Paul teaches us something very similar to Jesus (the night before His arrest) to the Corinthians in his second letter to them...St. Paul tells us there will be times when we feel troubled, and hard pressed from every side, and persecuted, but we should not stay in despair...Because even though we may feel down or struck down, we are not abandoned...For we know that our One God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise us, to be with Jesus...We then will be in His presence...
Jesus' is called Immanuel, which means God with us...
So we should not let our hearts stay troubled, or stay rutted in despair, when we have troubled times...Therefore, let us never lose heart...Jesus is with us...He is with us in the Holy Spirit He sent us, and He will be with us in heaven...He has prepared a room for each of us, and He will come and get us, if we have Him in our hearts...So let us not despair, in our momentary troubles on earth, for His eternal glory far outweighs any trouble on earth...Let us not fix our eyes on the temporary trouble or pleasure here, but take heart that He is eternal and is in heaven...His eternal glory is the treasure we seek and search for, it is far more important and exceeds infinitely the troubles or treasures of the flesh and this earth...