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 8:18 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on April 10, 2013 of Psalm 72:1-11; Romans 8:18-39; Deuteronomy 25-27.
In chapter eight of his letter to the church in Rome, Paul lays out what he perceives as the great power of sanctification through Jesus Christ our Lord. In a true sense this is righteousness imparted to us by Jesus' sacrifice on our behalf. In today's focus verse Paul reveals our greatest hope, a wonderful gift, the future glory that awaits. Paul frames this hope in an eloquent and most descriptive way. He says that what we will receive that beautiful day cannot even compare to anything we have to put up with now. This is a promise of hope for each and every one of us as individuals, not a blanket statement for some collective of all mankind or all righteous people but for you and me! This is personal, just like Jesus is our personal Savior who suffered and died just for your sake and for mine! This is a hope and a promise that you and I have to look forward to. Nothing that gets dumped on us today in the here and now of this earthly life, whether the best the world has to offer or the worst, will even come close to comparing to what we will receive from God.
The neatest part of this declaration, though, may be at the end, in the phrase, "the glory which shall be revealed in us". God's immense glory will not only be revealed to us, but in us as well! Try as we might, we can't even imagine what it will be like, what it will feel like, when all the glory of God and our risen Savior Jesus fills us from the inside out to overflowing. All the majesty and wonder of creation will be poured into us. All the mysteries of God's ways will be made known to us and evident within us. Like Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai after receiving the Ten Commandments from God (please reference Exodus 34:29-30), we will shine brightly with the radiance of the Creator of All beaming out from within us. God's glory will be revealed in us. Now that is really something to look forward to!
A little further on, Paul makes a few more declarations that are often quoted today. One is that God works all things together for the good of those who love and follow Him (please see verse 28). Another is that if God is on our side, who or what could possibly stand against us (please see verse 31). And a third is that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus (please see verses 38 and 39). But this individual promise he shares with us, that all suffering today will pale and be completely forgotten when God's glory is revealed in us, this is... well, incomparable. Amen.
Loving Father, thank You so much for the hope of a tomorrow without comparison! Thank You for giving us a foretaste, a little hint of what we have to look forward to. Thank You for the sure knowledge that Your great glory will also be reveled in us! In Jesus' name we thank You and pray. Amen.
The neatest part of this declaration, though, may be at the end, in the phrase, "the glory which shall be revealed in us". God's immense glory will not only be revealed to us, but in us as well! Try as we might, we can't even imagine what it will be like, what it will feel like, when all the glory of God and our risen Savior Jesus fills us from the inside out to overflowing. All the majesty and wonder of creation will be poured into us. All the mysteries of God's ways will be made known to us and evident within us. Like Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai after receiving the Ten Commandments from God (please reference Exodus 34:29-30), we will shine brightly with the radiance of the Creator of All beaming out from within us. God's glory will be revealed in us. Now that is really something to look forward to!
A little further on, Paul makes a few more declarations that are often quoted today. One is that God works all things together for the good of those who love and follow Him (please see verse 28). Another is that if God is on our side, who or what could possibly stand against us (please see verse 31). And a third is that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus (please see verses 38 and 39). But this individual promise he shares with us, that all suffering today will pale and be completely forgotten when God's glory is revealed in us, this is... well, incomparable. Amen.
Loving Father, thank You so much for the hope of a tomorrow without comparison! Thank You for giving us a foretaste, a little hint of what we have to look forward to. Thank You for the sure knowledge that Your great glory will also be reveled in us! In Jesus' name we thank You and pray. Amen.
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