Sharing in the eternal glory of God

“In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” — 1 Peter 5:10 (NLT)

He has called us to share in his eternal glory! There is a promise here, according to the Apostle Peter, those who share in the eternal glory of Christ must suffer. We have heard the stories of loved ones who have developed terminal illnesses and passed on to be with the Lord, the death of the loved one leaves the family members torn and feeling like God abandoned them.

Or, another example, maybe for some reason, you were trying to do the right thing only to have people accuse you of doing something wrong. This leaves you questioning things while people try to destroy your reputation.

James, the brother of Jesus, says it clearly. We are to rejoice in these situations. This may seem insensitive. However, the result in the end, is eternal glory with Jesus.

For the loved who passes away from terminal illness, if they have trusted their life to Jesus, they will share in his eternal glory. For the accused, if God knows their heart, it does not matter who accuses him or her. If their hope remains in Jesus, the accused will share in Christ’s eternal glory.

You may ask, what are the qualifications to share in Christ’s eternal glory? The answer is a heart that humbles itself to Christ and puts their trust in Jesus.

A good example of this is the thief on the cross. The thief on the cross was not really looking for anything. He humbly asked Jesus to remember him when Christ entered his Kingdom. The response from Jesus was, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.”

So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. (1 Peter 4:1, NLT)

1 Peter 4:1 is the key to everything here. We must have the same attitude as Christ. I have witnessed the promise of this when ministering to those who are about to pass. They are through with sin, and they begin to concentrate on the promises of heaven and the eternal glory of Christ. I am so grateful that Jesus restores. Trust in him today and may the peace of God be restored to your soul.

Have a great week.

Dave Truncone is the pastor of First Assembly of God Church in Van Buren. He is married to Heidi and they have two daughters, Hannah, and Abigail. They live in Van Buren.