Thursday 26 September, 2013
Romans 8:18-25
18 What we are suffering now is nothing compared with the glory that will be shown in us. 19 Everything God created looks forward to the time when his children will appear in their full and final glory. 20 The created world was bound to fail. But that was not the result of its own choice. It was planned that way by the One who made it. God planned 21 to set the created world free. He didn’t want it to rot away completely. Instead, he wanted it to have the same glorious freedom that his children have. 22 We know that all that God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a child. The created world continues to groan even now. 23 And that’s not all. We have the Holy Spirit as the promise of future blessing. But we also groan inside ourselves as we look forward to the time when God will adopt us as full members of his family. Then he will give us everything he has for us. He will raise our bodies and give glory to them. 24 That’s the hope we had when we were saved. But hope that can be seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 We hope for what we don’t have yet. So we are patient as we wait for it.
Our present sufferings vs. the hope of what is to come. It is a very significant statement when so much of our life today is about instant gratification.
That creation is also waiting, suffering, is nice to know but not a comfort as such, at least for me.
It is so easy for me to get caught in the now and as a result look for opportunities to solve the ache of my heart or the situation that is causing my distress.
How large does the coming glory loom in my thinking, am I conscious of glory’s magnificence and the resolve it will bring for everything in my world. Do I honestly long for it?
I am so prone to the now, my God consciousness needs to increase – I can see that plainly as I read this passage!
Father, help me to have you as the subject of every frame in my world and so give me perspective like Paul, that my present sufferings are nothing in the light of the glory, Your glory that will be revealed!
Written by Ps. Richard Botta
Today I have to make a very difficult decision. Because of it, I had become personally distressed and was feeling a little lost and alone.
I thought, before I begin this process I will read the ‘daily digest for today’. The very first words I read were,
‘What we are suffering now is nothing compared with the glory that will be shown in us’.
This verse was totally unexpected as I experienced a sudden rush of the ‘father heart of God’ towards me. I felt an acknowledgement of my situation from beyond this realm and at the same time I received wise advice for putting into perceptive a difficult moment in my life.
Was this a coincidence? You decide for yourself.
As for me, I received what I needed to hear when I needed to hear it and as a result I don’t feel alone threw this experience.
We serve a living God. amen!