The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 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 8:16-18)
Most people want to believe that being a Christian eliminate us from suffering. In this world of "name it and claim it" and "wealth and prosperity" teachings in many of the contemporary churches and by the so-called "enlightened" teachers, people are believing false teaching that God only wants us to be happy, healthy and wealthy. The reality is that that's what we want, but that's not necessarily what God's will is for our lives. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16) That is what God wants us to be, holy!
Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) Yes, He will, but the key is to delight yourself also in the Lord. When we put our focus on pleasing God and doing His will and not just expecting Him to do for us what we want, then our hearts will be right because we will have the right desires. Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,... (Psalm 10:17) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (I John 5:14)
We can ask God for whatever we want, but according to His will will determine how He answers us. We must not forget what Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ... Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. ... In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. ... These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:20-33)
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! But we aren't the only ones in God's creation that are waiting for Christ's glory to be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19-22)
WOW, what a sobering thought! All of creation - the land, water, sky, trees, plants, everything - is suffering, not willingly, but because of how mankind has behaved on it and treated it. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ... Then God said, “Let there be light”;... Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” ... Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”;... Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”;... Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”;... (Genesis 1:1-20)
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” ... Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”;... Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:21-31)
God created everything, and indeed it was very good. But of all He created, only to mankind did he say let them have dominion over, over everything that He created. We were supposed to take care of His creation, but instead we have subject it to the bondage of corruption. As "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world." (John 16:21) So also does God's creation, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now, patiently waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, so that it to may be freed into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Remember, when Christ returns and Satan and all unbelievers are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelations 20), God's not going to destroy His creation, because everything that He had made was very good. Instead He's going to clean it up! Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:5-8)
Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:23-25) Not only is God's creation waiting for our day of redemption, but we are patiently waiting also; for The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee that our hope is not in vain.
Therefore creation is patiently waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption; we who are Christians are eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. But God is patiently waiting also, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:3-9) AMEN!
Most people want to believe that being a Christian eliminate us from suffering. In this world of "name it and claim it" and "wealth and prosperity" teachings in many of the contemporary churches and by the so-called "enlightened" teachers, people are believing false teaching that God only wants us to be happy, healthy and wealthy. The reality is that that's what we want, but that's not necessarily what God's will is for our lives. But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” (I Peter 1:15-16) That is what God wants us to be, holy!
Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4) Yes, He will, but the key is to delight yourself also in the Lord. When we put our focus on pleasing God and doing His will and not just expecting Him to do for us what we want, then our hearts will be right because we will have the right desires. Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,... (Psalm 10:17) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. (I John 5:14)
We can ask God for whatever we want, but according to His will will determine how He answers us. We must not forget what Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ... Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you. And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. ... In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. ... These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:20-33)
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! But we aren't the only ones in God's creation that are waiting for Christ's glory to be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. (Romans 8:19-22)
WOW, what a sobering thought! All of creation - the land, water, sky, trees, plants, everything - is suffering, not willingly, but because of how mankind has behaved on it and treated it. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ... Then God said, “Let there be light”;... Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” ... Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”;... Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”;... Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”;... (Genesis 1:1-20)
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” ... Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”;... Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:21-31)
God created everything, and indeed it was very good. But of all He created, only to mankind did he say let them have dominion over, over everything that He created. We were supposed to take care of His creation, but instead we have subject it to the bondage of corruption. As "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world." (John 16:21) So also does God's creation, For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now, patiently waiting for the revealing of the sons of God, so that it to may be freed into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Remember, when Christ returns and Satan and all unbelievers are cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (Revelations 20), God's not going to destroy His creation, because everything that He had made was very good. Instead He's going to clean it up! Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)
Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. 8 But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:5-8)
Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. (Romans 8:23-25) Not only is God's creation waiting for our day of redemption, but we are patiently waiting also; for The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. The Holy Spirit is our guarantee that our hope is not in vain.
Therefore creation is patiently waiting to be delivered from the bondage of corruption; we who are Christians are eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. But God is patiently waiting also, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:3-9) AMEN!
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