Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Romans 8:18-23.

 

“¹⁸  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

 

¹⁹  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

 

²⁰  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

 

²¹  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

 

²²  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

 

²³  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”  Romans 8:18-23. 

 

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“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.  For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,”  2 Corinthians 4:16-17.

 

“but just as it is written,

“THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”

For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;  for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.  For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him?  Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,”  1 Corinthians 2:9-12.

There are a number of subjects that could headline this devotion.  At first, I wanted to focus on the suffering.  Later, I wanted to focus on the hope based just on the future.  Finally, I decided to focus on the present grace that we have received, that also encourages us and strengthens us to patiently, even “eagerly”, wait for that future glory. 

That present grace is “the first fruits of the Spirit”.  That present grace is “our inner man is being renewed day by day”.  That present grace is all “the things freely given to us by God”.

There is the danger that we just “bunker down” and wait for the end.  Some Christians, you only see in church.  Some Christians appear to be suffering all the time with little joy. 

But, we receive fresh manna each day.  Our inner man is made new each day.  Even to our mortal bodies, we receive life.  Romans 8:11.  We receive blessings each day that add a skip to our steps and a song to our hearts.  Most importantly, the Holy Spirit bears fresh fruit in our lives each day.

Yes, we do wait.  Yes, we groan.  Yes, we do suffer.  But, what God has already presently given us causes us to wait eagerly and joyfully.

Moreover, in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30, Christ warned us to not be like that slave who was afraid and took the one talent entrusted to him and hid it in the ground.  We can wrongly use the existence of suffering to justify similar “shrinking” behavior.  

“BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;
AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.”  Hebrews 10:38-39. 

“¹²  The righteous man will flourish like the palm tree,
He will grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³  Planted in the house of the LORD,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴  They will still yield fruit in old age;
They shall be full of sap and very green,
¹⁵  To declare that the LORD is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”  Psalm 92:12-15.

Are you like that righteous man who still yields fruit in old age, who is full of sap and very green, who declares what God has done for him?

Or, are you that man who shows off his suffering, who is content to shrink back and bunker down, who shows more sadness and death (than joy and life), and who does not have much to declare what God has done for him (but only vague and lifeless hopes of what God may do for him)?

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Just as it is written,

“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”  Romans 8:35-37.