THROUGH THE BIBLE IN THREE YEARS
DAILY DEVOTIONS
HI!
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Lord, please deliver us from small print!
You know it's going to be a bad day when you wake up in the hospital all trussed up. Then your insurance agent tells you that your accident policy covers falling off the roof, but not hitting the ground.
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Rom 8:19-23
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not
willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21 Because
the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole
creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only
they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we
ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption
of our body.
(KJV)
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The earth is suffering because of the sins of man (verses 20 & 22 above). The earth suffers barrenness, erosion, and pollution. When Adam sinned, God caused the earth to begin suffering (Genesis 3:19). Even though the earth has never been directly disobedient to the will of God, she suffers.
But the earth is promised deliverance from the suffering (verse 21 above). God tells us in Isaiah 35 that, when Jesus comes again, the earth will rejoice and be reinstated with tremendous productivity. The rose will blossom in the desert because streams will flow there.
Today, the earth must wait patiently until the fullness of "the manifestation of the sons of God" (verse 19). The earth must wait until the completion of the "adoption" (verse 23).
The decision has been made to receive into adoption all those who surrender to Christ. The legalities have been met - Christ has paid the fee to ransom His children from slavery to sin. However, every child has not yet completely been received.
Just like the earth suffers, so do those who have surrendered to God's will and trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Unlike the earth, we HAVE been directly disobedient to God's will. As a result, we suffer not only because of our own sins, but also because the sins of others affect us.
As Christians, we cannot expect to be free from difficulty. We are not exempt from suffering.
But we DO have a "hope" that is beyond and above what those WITHOUT Christ have! That "hope" is the knowledge of the fact that one day Jesus will come again and completely and totally redeem us from sin!
Yes! We have something to look FORWARD to that helps us to live THROUGH the difficulties of life!
Lord, today, please help me to focus on the GOAL LINE and not on the difficulties of the race!
Love ya,
Bruce
mcge3582@bellsouth.net
http://www.linktojesus.org
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." (Romans 15:13)