Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
How do I share in Christ's sufferings? I am not sure that I do. This type (level?) of identification with Christ seems to describe a different time and place. My identification with Christ never puts me in danger, although I can imagine some settings where my beliefs might be very much misunderstood. Maybe stepping out of my comfort zone and just identifying myself as a Christian more often would be a good start. It feels risky, sometimes. This is (on a small scale) sharing in Christ's suffering.
Holy Lord, maybe starting with simply identifying myself as a Christian is the essential first step. It is a very small risk. And it opens up opportunities to follow Christ in a way which is more visible to others. If I want to be more Christ-like, I need to own that externally as well as internally. Amen
Becky, transforming
Monday, August 14th, 2023
Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
God communicates from His Spirit to our spirit that we are His children. His Spirit keeps communicating to us over and over that we belong in God's family now that we are in Christ. The confidence we carry that we belong to God, not because of our goodness or effort but because of His love for us, comes directly from God's Spirit with us.
Lord, thank you for redeeming and reconciling us back…
Romans 8:16-17
For me, the word suffering makes the last sentence very difficult. To suffer as Christ suffered is not something I could endure. Throughout the Bible we are instructed that everything will not be perfect. We will have trials and we must take the bad with the good. Perhaps this is what Paul meant.
Prayer:Gracious God, May I always have the strength to never turn away from you during difficult times. Amen
Romans 8:16-17 There is a tiny word in this verse that has great impact, and that word is “if.” Paul says, “if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” Paul does not imply we should intentionally seek out suffering, but, just as Jesus taught, believers will encounter trouble for Jesus’ sake. There are parts of the world where a public declaration of Christianity guarantees persecution up to and including execution. Given that comparison, the Western secular world’s arrogant rejection of Christianity as ignorant, hateful, misogynistic and every other “-ist” one would care to name seems rather insignificant. Nevertheless, being on the receiving end of such venom allows we who are not under…
Romans 8:16-17
My spirit is an heir of Gods children and co- heir spirit of Christ was tough to grasp because yes we are but I do see the suffering in daily events and witnessing but what we do about it or how we react to the suffering is the sharing of Gods glory
Dear Lord, help me to recognize and understand and react to the gift of being an heir..