A Promise.
Probably my favorite verse in the entire bible that gives me so much hope in the toughest of times is Romans 8:18. It says, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us." In this verse, I see a promise that offers so much hope in heaven. All that consumes my life, day in and day out, isn't even worth comparing to the greatness of standing in the presence of God. There are so many things that we will never understand...why can I not seem to overcome this struggle?...why am I the parent of a wayward child?...why did I have to endure the death of a close relative?...why do bad things happen to good people?
Even though we can't answer our questions, God will always be faithful. Sometimes it seems that God allows for trials to come, but we can blame sin and our fallen nature for that. Bad things happen because of the fall of man when sin entered into the world. We can blame ourselves. The good news is that Jesus died for all of our past, present and future sins and even though we have to endure the hardships that come along with consequences of sin, we have the promise of heaven. All of the crappy times are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us one day. Sin doesn't deserve our attention--we need to keep our head up and our focus on the One who has overcame sin and death for His glory, on our behalf. Our lives should constantly be lived to honor Christ. When we spend time dwelling on the worst of times, we lose moments that He deserves to be lifted up.
The entire chapter is great. If you haven't read chapter 8 of Romans or if it's been a while, I encourage you to take less than 5 minutes, read 39 verses and see what God will say to you. He longs to have a deeper relationship with you. It's your obligation to give, to sacrifice, of your time to strengthen your relationship with Abba, your Dad, your Creator, your loving Father. I remember our Lead Pastor, Neil Perry using a tagline concerning parenting. He said, "rules without a relationship, equals rebellion." Now, because of the catchiness of this phrase, it stuck with me. So, the other day I remembered this phrase and realized how it applies to our spiritual walk. God gave us Jesus. That's enough. Jesus is enough. And always God is giving to us. We are able to wake up every day He allows, breathe and honor Him...that's what's expected. He's done enough on His part of the relationship. Now, it's up to us. We need to see that God is working for us. A lot of times we try to do things on our on. We are brainwashed into thinking that we have the ability to live life and carry on without God. Well, whether you like it or not, whether you know it or not, God never leaves. He's always there. But because we think we can do it on our own, it puts distance between us and God. We can't do it on our own. We can't fight our battles on our own...we ABSOLUTELY can't win them on our own. Submit to Him today and let Him guide you. Spend time with Him. We can be comforted in the midst of our present sufferings. Just fall into His everlasting arms.
And finally, since I'm the music guy, here's a song to have to assist in your worship today. The words are giving all glory to Jesus. It's so good when you can just close your eyes and experience the peace of knowing Jesus is all you need. It's called, Jesus At the Center. I love all of you guys at Element Church. I hope and pray you are blessed today.
--Caleb
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