Devotion - January 23, 2015 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18 In Christ Jesus you are free! An earlier verse from Romans chapter 8 tells us: There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (8:1). You are free from condemnation! Free from guilt! Free from every divine consequence for breaking Gods law! But do you feel free? You might not. Nothing is ever easy. You work more than is good for you, and still you wonder if youre really making a difference for anyone else or for yourself. You love the family and friends God has given you, but there are problems in every relationship. You make it to the golden years, but they dont seem all that golden. When Jesus died on the cross, he willingly took all condemnation for every sin ever committed. God is on our side. So why is that we still so often feel small and weak? Why do we still suffer? Sin is forgiven in Christ, but it doesnt disappear. Sin is still present in our world and in us, and sin hurts. All of creation is groaning under its weight. It shouldnt surprise us that we are groaning too. Believers are no strangers to tragedy and loss. In todays Bible verse, we find help for any believer in Jesus burdened by the troubles of this life. The apostle Paul says: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Paul is not in any way minimizing our suffering. He is simply reminding us that all who believe in Jesus are headed for the glory of heaven, a glory so wonderful that no suffering in this world can begin to compare. When you are discouraged, remember this word from God. Remember that the cause of all suffering is sin, and remember Gods cure. God has sent us his Son Jesus. By his suffering and death he has freed us from all condemnation. There is no easy path through this sin-cursed world, but by trusting Jesus we are headed for heaven. Even now we have the peace of knowing that God is on our side. Like the psalmist, we can say, I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope (Psalm 130:5). Prayer: Dear Lord, have mercy on me in my distress. Forgive my sins. Grant me relief, according to your will. Fill my heart with the sure hope of heaven, through Jesus Christ my Savior. Amen. Todays Devotion is brought to you by WELS and WhatAboutJesus. Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Posted on: Fri, 23 Jan 2015 09:04:43 +0000
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