Leslie Wittenmyer
March 9, 2024
Romans 8:23, New Living Translation
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies, and has promised us.”
As I am reading Romans 8:23, several things go through my mind.
We believers groan. We get tired of the things happening in this world, and the effects it has on us. We are hit on every front, emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually, and we are tired. We long for our inheritance with Christ in heaven. But there’s work to do. Scripture tells us that, “If we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” (Romans 8:17, NLT) I don’t mean we have to be miserable while we are on this earth, that’s leaning towards self-focus and self-pity. We need to be Christ focused.
What did Jesus do when He was here? He shared the good news, the gospel. Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near! He focused on discipleship and then sent out the disciples to preach the good news! How will people have faith and believe that Jesus Christ is their living Savior, if we aren’t sharing what has been revealed to us? Remember, we have a foretaste of future glory within us, the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead us into all truth and remind us of the things we’ve been taught. So why should we be afraid? Why should we hold back? Our suffering here is only for a short while, but we await an eternal hope and glory that lasts an eternity. Another perspective to look at is this, in our groanings, and our longing, we recognize our need for a Savior. In retrospect, I believe this helps us to keep fighting this good fight of faith. And helps us to share our testimony one more time. And to pray for this person or that person one more time, and to help someone one more time. But know this; recognize this, our strength doesn’t come from self, our strength comes from the Lord!
When I was reading my Bible, I had made a little note to myself back in October. It says this: Put your Hope in something higher than what’s in front of you. Get on your knees and look up!
When you are tired and feel like you can’t do it anymore, get on your knees and look up! Put your hope in Jesus, and not the mountain in front of you! Call out to Him!
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NLT), “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”
God has put us in this place, and this time for a purpose! As Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” He wants to show Himself through you! There are things He wants to do that can only be done through you! And the same goes for me. We are in this together!
Let us do as Paul did when he said, “But I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past, and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race, and receive a heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13-14, NLT)