Our Present Sufferings
Romans 8:18 ESV
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
While we still live on this earth in flesh bodies we will
have sickness, sadness, and suffering of all kinds. Some of it will be physical
suffering, and some of it will be emotional. We will also suffer for the sake
of righteousness. And we will be tempted sometimes to sin, too.
So, we will long for the day when we no longer live in these
flesh bodies and when our suffering will be no more, and we will be with our
Lord for eternity. We will no longer be hurt by the sins of others, we will no
longer be tempted to sin, and we will no longer be weak and tired.
The Lord Jesus will wipe every tear from our eyes. We will
have perfect fellowship with him, and we will have perfect fellowship with the
other saints of God who are there with us. It will be a time of great rejoicing
to be free of these flesh bodies and to be in perfect communion with our Lord.
This is our hope that one day, when we die, or when Jesus
returns, that we will go to be with our Lord and our salvation will be
complete. Yet, we should not so long for that day that we don’t live for what
God has for us now, for he did put us on this earth for a purpose.
So, while we wait for our Lord’s return and for the time
that we will go to be with him forever, we continue to say “No!” to ungodliness
and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. And we
continue to live for our Lord and to walk in his ways, and to do what he has
called us to do.
The Spirit Helps Us
Romans 8:26-27 ESV
“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
But we are not alone in our suffering. We are not helpless. We
are not forsaken and forgotten. The Holy Spirit is there to help us if we will
let him help us and if we will cooperate with him in doing what he says to do. For,
he can’t help us if we don’t listen to him and if we refuse to do what he says,
or if we fight against him or ignore him.
So, if we are going to ask for his help, then we need to be
prepared to do what he tells us to do. For, there are many people who say that
they ask God for help but that he doesn’t help them. Well, it isn’t that God is
not willing. It is that the humans asking for help are not willing to be
helped.
And it is important that we understand this part. The Spirit
intercedes for the saints according to the will of God, not according to the
will of man/woman. So, he isn’t going to do what our flesh wants, the way our
flesh wants it, but he will always act in accord with the will of God for our
lives.
So, you need help in your weakness? You want God’s help?
Then you must yield your life to the Holy Spirit’s control. You must surrender
your life to Jesus Christ to doing God’s will for your life, not your will. He
is not there to help us do what we want. He is there to help us do what God
wants.
For Those Who Love God
Romans 8:28-30 ESV
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
And this is the clincher here. God will work together all
things for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
And to love God is to be obeying him, as a matter of practice. If we are not
obeying him, then we don’t love him and he is not working all things together
for our good, not because he doesn’t want to, but because we are not willing.
Also, if we are called according to God’s purpose, then we
should be those who are living according to that purpose. And God’s purpose for
us is that we should die with him to sin and live to him and to his
righteousness. His purpose for us is that we should no longer live for
ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15, 21;
Rom 6:1-23).
Also, if God is working everything together for our good, it
is going to be as he defines “good,” not as we might define “good.” For
sometimes he disciplines us for our good, even though it is painful, so that we
might share in his holiness and so that we will bear fruit for his eternal
kingdom.
And these next words bear this out to be true, for he
predestined us to be conformed to the image of Christ, which means we are
becoming more and more like Jesus in thought, in word, and in deed, the longer that
we know him, and the more that we walk in obedience to him and to his word.
So, we need to submit to Christ as Lord (owner-master) of
our lives, commit our ways to him, and do what he has called us to do, for that
is why he saved us, and that is why he put us here on the earth, that our lives
might be for his glory and praise. And one day we will be with him forever.
Amen!
I
Will Lift My Eyes
An
Original Work / December 12, 2012
Based
off Psalms 121-125
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not
sleep.
Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.
I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.
My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.
I give thanks to Him.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n.
Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with
Christ.
Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.
I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.
I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n;
My home, now in heav’n.
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we
need.
Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend,
indeed!
Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.
Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.
I can count on Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment