Q: Our recent Bible study explains that God is shaping us for the future, that God uses present experiences to mold us for future usefulness both here on earth and in eternity (Experiencing God, pages 56 and 57). What is our “usefulness” in regard to eternity? What is our purpose in heaven and how will God use us in eternity?

A: This is a terrific question that has occupied scholars’ fertile minds for centuries. I will quote from Paul Billheimer’s classic masterpiece, Don’t Waste Your Sorrows, rather than to attempt this in my own understanding.

“For our light affliction, which but for a moment, works for us a far more eternal weight of glory: while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:17-18).

“Affliction” … means pressure. It implies sorrow, suffering or heartache imposed by illness, loss, misfortune, etc.

Alexander Maclaren has said that every affliction comes with a message from the heart of God. Watchman Nee has said we never learn anything new about God except by adversity. Except for sin, SORROW is life’s most serious problem. The apostle Paul is saying that “our light affliction” properly accepted is actually creating or producing for us an “eternal weight of glory” far beyond all proportion to the pain or affliction. Therefore, it should be cherished and not wasted by resistance and rebellion. Paul further amplifies, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

God is love and according to the first passage we mentioned, He permits suffering to the saint only to work (create) for Him an “eternal weight of glory.”

To what end you might ask? Continuing my quote from Paul Billheimer:

“God’s original purpose in creation was to obtain a generic family of His very own. The purpose of this generic family was to provide an Eternal Companion for the Son, called the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife ( Revelation 21:9) to be trained and elevated to the throne of the universe as co-regent with her Bridegroom following the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 3:21, 19:7,9 ). But God knew that His Bride could not be obtained without infinite suffering to the Godhead. He also knew that the Bride could not be prepared for her queenly role without suffering to her. If God was …to obtain an Eternal Companion for His Son, HE also had to suffer. It was unavoidable. If the Bride was to be qualified to rule with Him, SHE also had to suffer. This illuminates the passage in II Timothy 2:12, “If we suffer we shall also reign with Him.” 

We don’t know the details but we know that we are His bride, and that we are going to reign with Him. Our usefulness in eternity is directly related to WHO He says we are, His bride, and WHAT He says we will do in eternity and that is to reign with Him. So to be fully prepared for that awesome responsibility, we must suffer in this life to become eligible to reign with Him in eternity.

There are many more clues, but virtually all are tied to ruling and reigning with Him and that the pathway to get there from here is through suffering.

God bless you, and please try to find a copy of Billheimer’s book, Don’t Waste Your Sorrows. My brief answer doesn’t do your question or his book justice.

Rick Ray