"I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I'd do this if I wasn't convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Messiah Jesus? Do you think I was just trying to act heroic when I fought the wild beasts at Ephesus, hoping it wouldn't be the end of me? Not on your life! It's resurrection, resurrection, always resurrection, that undergirds what I do and say, the way I live." 1 Corinthians 15:31-32 MSG

So what's the use in going out and preaching the Gospel day after day and serving meal after meal and handing out coat after coat if this is it? If the only thing we have to look forward to is whatever small happiness we can elicit for ourselves here on this fallen earth?

It may be easy to fall into the attitude of the Epicureans - those who believed that we could gain knowledge of the world by solely relying upon our senses. They taught that the point of all one's actions in life was to attain pleasure (conceived of as tranquility) for oneself. Get whatever happiness you can while you're still kickin' and healthy enough to enjoy it. Get ahead in life. Get your little piece of heaven. As Christians, though, we believe that this world is not our home, so we shouldn't be making ourselves cozy in it. Instead, we ought to live an exemplary life among the non-believers so that our actions will refute their prejudices. (see 1 Peter 2:11-12 MSG)

No friends, instead, as you walk through the cold night looking for the woman who sells her body for drugs over and over, or endure yet another unclean spirit spewing impurity all over you when all you were doing was asking for prayer requests, remember the heavenly rewards that have been revealed to you.

So when it gets hard (maybe like it is now) use the promise of the eternal blessings as fuel for perseverance and "may the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." 2 Thessalonians 3:5