We glory in tribulations knowing that tribulations worketh patience and patience, experience and experience, hope and hope maketh man not ashamed (Romans 5:3).
God promises a crown of life to those who overcome. The struggles in life are real and you may wonder why does God allow Saints to go through hardship and struggle. Here Paul, as one not exempt from the struggle of life and ministry shares the secret of "Andilopis."
It is the "andilopis" the repetition of the last word in the first clause that becomes the the first word for the next clause. The style is catchy, memorable, especially when the reader finds it hard to get the principle meaning of what the writer is trying to convey. For example, the reason for tribulation is used to show us that trouble can bring hope. Now, you may well think that hope is the last thing trouble can bring right now in fact your trouble seems as if the Lord is ending a lot of things for you. Or is it? Just maybe the trouble you're facing is the very thing that you need to get you out of the rut? Do you see the hope there?
Andiplosis.. It gives the impression of logic. Try telling the world that their troubles work for their good. The bad don't know what the good is. The bad called Jesus "good" they did not know him as God, they just knew him as good. Only those born of God can see Gods as God when others around them blame God as bad. Thats the "andiplosis" of trouble.
Now back to the context of this whole thing. Paul says, "for the outward man perishes yet the inward man is renewed."living in diametric opposition to that which is going on in his life. The decay of one thing contributes to the life the other. He said, "for our light affliction which is but for a moment worth for us." (how can affliction work for you?) a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things that are seen but at the things that are seen. Just as the outward men perishing brings renewal of the inward man so too the sorrows of life form the glory in life. It is not that the sorrows are taken away but rather, the sorrows help to form the glory, sorrow becomes the very elements and composition that glory is made up of. Our struggles forms the the elements of glory. An olympic athlete cannot be celebrated as the worlds number one without training, consistency, hardship, rivalry, and even loss. It's the loss that makes him feel less than a hero, the loss of a prize a title or race, that makes him the hero when he pulls back and stains a big win. He is measured a winner when in fact his win is mirrored by a great loss. The shame with God, we understand the good God when we see that he uses bad times, to work for our gain.
You know why I have hope, because i've been through so much that I know without any shadow of doubt that since I got through my struggle back then I can get through this struggle right here. That's what tribulation has done for me. Now I glory in that!
For which cause we faint not though the our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction which is but for a moment worth for us. Declare today "its working for me!" the bad stuff is working for me, the disappointments are working for me, the things that are not working out as I would like them are actually working our for me. See its not always my getting that switched God on but rather my becoming that's he concerned with.
The antilopis tells us that a decaying body is seed sown for resurection body. The spirit life is actually the death of self. God ending that which cant live forever so that that which is eternal will never pass away. My final thought, is this, when we bury the body... We simple sow a seed!
It must rise!
Enjoy the andiplosis.
