"I see the infirmities, tragedies and sufferings our family has experienced through the years not caused by sin in ourselves, nor by the inattention or cruelty of God, but rather because we are clay pots in the midst of the Great War--a spiritual war of cosmic dimensions between God and the Devil, good and evil, angels and demons--two kingdoms with all their citizens and denizens locked in battle. We are each in our measure caught in the flow of battle. . . .
"'The kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force' (Matthew 11:12). Will it be worth it? All the pain and suffering, trials and privations? Ask the first Jewish fishermen who followed him. History testifies that through their lives and sufferings, they preached the gospel of the Kingdom and built His Church. They won their crowns as He won His crown." (Elliott Tepper in The Cost of the Kingdom, Christian Focus Publications, 2013)
This is important stuff, and echoes in part what Helen Roseveare writes in her booklet Enough (Christian Focus Publications, 2011). Some losses and some apparent defeats hit us hard, but we can rest assured that the victory is secure in Jesus, and meanwhile it is still and always worthwhile to throw in our lot with the victorious Lord, whatever life may throw at us.
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