The Long End & Difficulty
Good Morning,
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear…I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Phil. 1:12-14;21
As the Apostle Paul writes these words, from prison no less, it can be difficult for those of us in America to relate. We live in a country with a great degree of religious freedom. Suffering for our faith is not something most of us have experienced (and sorry, wearing a mask the last 2 years does not qualify as suffering). If you read the book of Acts, you will see the litany of suffering Paul endured for the sake of the gospel. He was beaten, kidnapped, threatened, arrested multiple times, accused in lawsuits, ridiculed, ignored, and shipwrecked. Further, in his letters to the churches, we see how he was misunderstood by other Christians and religious leaders as well.
How in the world can someone stay the course of their faith amid all this? I think we see a glimpse into the answer in verse 20 above. Paul’s consuming desire was to put Christ on display no matter what. In fact, in verse 21 he goes so far as to express his desire to depart this world and be with Christ. To him, everything about the present was impacted by his perspective of the future – the long end of the rope.
It is the long end of the rope that gives Paul not only endurance, but also an almost unbelievable gratitude for the difficulties he faces. He knows it is not wasted and that what it brings about in his life and the life of others will live on for eternity.
He illustrates the perspective of the long end of the rope in 2 Cor. 4: “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (v17). Paul’s awareness of the brevity of life here on earth allows him to see his current life in perspective. He is visiting this earth now but will reside in heaven forever.
Allow me to challenge us all with this question: How is the long end of the rope impacting the way we view adversity; specifically standing for our faith when we continually swim upstream? Spend some time pondering the questions below. Perhaps it would be helpful to process them with others as well.
Questions to ponder this week:
1. To what extent is thinking primarily about the short end of the rope leaving you discouraged or frustrated?
2. How could focusing on the long end of the rope give you strength and courage to face the difficulties in your life?
Live on purpose, Ron Klopfenstein, CPLC
