2 Corinthians 4:7-18

⁷But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves; ⁸we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; ⁹pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed; ¹⁰always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body. ¹¹For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹²So then death worketh in us, but life in you. ¹³But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak; ¹⁴knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present us with you. ¹⁵For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God.

¹⁶Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. ¹⁷For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; ¹⁸while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Scripture Testimony Index stories for this passage

A Mustard Seed in Japan Wm. Merrell Vories

In a space of three years, the most vociferous critics of Merrell Vories and the work he led became admirers. And in places where previously doors were shut against the Gospel, new opportunities arose. Voires was invited to teach on Christian ethics in a school that had previously opposed all things related to the Gospel, and he was able to preach publicly in a town that had previously tried to drive him out.

Hudson Taylor The Man Who Believed God Marshall Broomhall

For Hudson Taylor and his missionary companions, reaching the many Chinese souls that were yet without a Saviour was of paramount importance and every discomfort they had to suffer for that to happen was welcomed. And so, with a smile rather than a complaint, hardships associated with their work were borne.

Hudson Taylor The Man Who Believed God Marshall Broomhall

The Taylors were undaunted even after suffering intense persecution and trials. In separate letters, they both counted as light and momentary their suffering for the sake of gospel, fixing their eyes on the weightier eternal glory that a harvest of souls would bring to God's Kingdom.

Walking the Hard Road, Wang Ming Tao Brother David, Lela Gilbert

Wang Ming-Tao was a man who suffered in the name of Christ. He had seen a lot and had been imprisoned for his belief in Jesus, but this experience refined him and made him a better Christian. His attitude exuded the genuine brotherhood of Christ.