Today’s passage: Romans 8:18-25
Helpful thoughts:
- When our full adoption is realized (When we see Jesus face to face and are made to be like Him), the cares and sufferings in this world won’t be worth trying to compare.
- Adam was given the responsibility to have dominion over the earth. This world has not enjoyed that dominion since the fall.
- This aspect of the fall and of God’s redemption reminds us of the layers of consequences for our sin and the layers of goodness that await us in the future.
- The Spirit’s work to give us new life and to begin the progressive work of sanctifying us gives us a taste of what’s in store in the days ahead. This taste satisfies us like nothing this world could ever provide.
Questions to consider:
- What kind of good things would you expect to equally offset the worst things in your life (Think like a number scale… Where -10 would be offset with a +10)? It can be overwhelming just to imagine a day when all of the bad things (Like sin and suffering) are simply gone…so how much more do we have to look forward to if the “good” of the future is not worth comparing to the “bad” of this life?
- When people seek to make things perfect in this world, what are they missing? What don’t they understand? Why won’t things ever be made right or perfect before Christ returns? What even mars their ability to give a right definition of a perfect world?
- How does the groaning and the hope for that day help you to navigate and persevere each day through this world which has been subjected to futility? What are you looking forward to the most?