Purpose, Future, Relationship

Imagine thinking you are going to a birthday party, but you end up at your own execution. What a shock! This is similar to the disciples' discovery in Luke ten. Expecting a majestic kingdom they are told they need to die. What drives Christians through this hard world? What drives them is what drove the disciples: the power of God through His Spirit. God was with them. God is with us. Jesus was speaking through His agents who accurately preach His word. You are speaking for God. Imagine being the voice of God! Not everything that appears ordinary, is actually ordinary--we are ambassadors for Christ! God has written down the names of His people, and they will shine like the sun in His kingdom. Imagine God taking a book from His shelf, running his finger down the list of names written in it, and stopping with a smile on your name. If God has done that for you, there is no suffering in this world that you cannot endure without the simultaneous joy of future glory. People who have God's purpose and God's future for them, and also a relationship with God, have every reason to rejoice, forever.