April 20, 2021 A HOPE THAT IS NOT SEEN
Romans 8:23-25 “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pain of childbirth together until now. 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. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? But if we hope what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”
We have a tendency to get caught up in the present, in the here and now. We also have a desire for the world around us to be at least all most perfect, or certainly as it should be; it’s like we expect to have heaven on earth. This perspective and these expectations we have for what life should be like sets us up for disappointment. We will no doubt have some days when everything is great, but that is not the norm. For some reason, we have believed that if we come to Jesus, if we put our faith in Him, ‘everything will be fine.’ Sorry, but not true. As believers, we need to acknowledge and accept what the word says regarding this life and adjust our perspective regarding life on planet earth. Do not misunderstand, we should pray that His will ‘be done on earth as it is in heaven,’ and we should be kingdom minded even while living on earth. If our hope is tied to what happens in this world, we are in great error and we will be disappointed. The verses above tells us that the whole creation groans and we ourselves groan within ourselves. This knowing that things are not what they should be comes from God; there is something in us that knows something is amiss. We must understand that we have ‘the first fruits of the Spirt;’ we do not yet have everything God has for us-there is more to come-the unseen. This ‘more to come’ is to be the basis of our hope. We may need to shift our focus more on what is to come and accept the fact that the here and now life is not easy and always pleasant; we should be eagerly awaiting our adoptions as sons and daughters. God has paid a down-payment on us; He owns us, but has not yet taken us to His home. He uses the difficulties of this life in the transformation process. In years past, much of the preaching was focused on heaven and neglected the instructions of the gospel on how we are to live life in the here and now. In more recent years, the pendulum has swung back; today, we hear very little about heaven and everything about life today. We need to balance the two; we are to live our lives on earth in a way that pleases the Lord, but we must also have a living, vital hope in what is to come and to cling to the promises yet to come that God has for us. Let us not be surprised at the trials we face on earth-Jesus said we would have them; and let us not be distracted or discouraged when things are not like what we want. Let us put out hope and our trust in God and know that He will fulfill His promises and we one day live in His presence in His kingdom in heaven! That is our hope-a hope that is not seen with our natural eyes, but a hope that is sure. Yes, we groan within ourselves for what is to come-and that groaning comes from God.
Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed