"For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance." (Hebrews 10:34 KJV)
""God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way."" (Matthew 5:11-12 NLT)
If it makes any difference, I seldom think this life is really an affliction, because it has many beautiful moments; as I have shared before, singing to my wife is something I never did before, when our lives were normal; but now, it is something I love to do, almost every day. What appears to be an affliction to some that look upon our circumstance, is really nothing more than us finishing the race that has been set before us. My deepest prayer is that we both finish at the same time!
As you might have noticed, the person that is sharing about his bonds, is most likely Paul, as it was he who had spent quite a lot of time in prison, sometimes in chains, and sometimes in house arrest. Luke was one of those who help him the most; and eventually, Mark too was also with him.
The point I am trying to make has to do with the writing, as Paul seldom wrote his own letters. Mark may have been the one writing this in Hebrew, and Luke was the one that translated it to Greek; or so the story goes. The most important point is that this was meant to be for the Jewish believers; however, it is also a word to both Jews and Gentiles alike!
We are all now brothers and sisters, and are all now the descendants of father Abraham, as the Book of Romans says: " That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing." (Romans 4:17 NLT)
What I am trying to say, is that this life, which might seem terrible to some, is really nothing more than the way God has made us to be; just as it was for Paul to be in bonds, it was where he was meant to be! What matter most, is where we end up, once this life is over...
"Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping - believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead - and so was Sarah's womb. Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God."
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