There will be pain and suffering

There will be pain and suffering as we come to the point of death

In spite of these assurances for the future, we will have to face physical and even mental agony as we come closer to the point of death.

"God has reserved for His children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And God in His mighty power, will make sure that you get there (to Heaven) safely to receive it (eternal life), because you are trusting in Him. It will be yours in that coming last day for all to see. So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though the going is rough for a while down here" (1 Peter 1:4-6).

Apostle Paul wrote to Timonthy, saying,

"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day" (2 Timothy 1:12).

Listen to Jesus,

"Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the Devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10).

God will protect our souls and spirits from destruction and will give us a new body suitable to live in Heaven. Therefore, let us persevere in Christ to the end of sojourn here on earth.

Example of Jesus

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart" (Hebrews 12:2).

Here the writer of Hebrews is telling us to follow the example of Jesus, He endured persecution, suffering, and even death, by focusing His thoughts on the future hope and joy.

I know what the Bible says is true. But only mature Christians who had experienced God's faithfulness in the past will be able to continue to trust God's faithfulness for the future. I don't claim to be an expert; I am still a learner.

But one thing I am sure:

To die without hope is surely hopeless indeed.

Therefore, anchor your Hope and trust in God the Almighty and His promises and He will take care of the rest. Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:8,

"We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

It will be very hard, if not impossible for most young Christians to understand this. This requires stronger faith and maturity. Some times we may cry out for help from God during our suffering and God does not seem to answer our plea for help immediately. We may even feel like being forsaken by God just as this person felt during his suffering:

"He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship. He has made me dwell in darkness like those long dead. He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains. Even when I call out or cry for help, he shuts out my prayer" (Lamentations 3:5-9).

Then the writer turns to God's past faithfulness to him and once again gains confidence to wait upon Him.

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him" (Lamentations 3:21-24).

The writer continued to trust God, because he remembered His past faithfulness many times over. So, let us begin our spiritual journey as soon as possible, so that we will have ample time to practice our faith and experience His faithfulness, so that we can also trust Him for the future.

Remember even when we loose our minds, God remembers His promises to us. He will always remain faithful to us; Bible says,

"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).