Losing Heart

It is easy to lose heart in this life as we consider our own sin and the brokenness of the world. I was recently reading of the life of the Marquis of Argyle. He was highly placed in the English government; in fact, it was he who placed the crown on the head of Charles II at his coronation in 1651. However, the Marquis was later arrested by the forces of Charles II because he had been converted, and had sympathies to the covenanter groups. He was beheaded at the cross of Edinburgh in 1661. But even at the impending time of his martyrdom, the Marquis did not lose heart; he said, "I had the honor to set the crown on the king's head, and now the king hastens me to a better crown than his own." This is a good example of what Paul means in 2 Corinthians 4:16-17, that "we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison . . . " So, dear Christian, do not lose heart!