06 | Hope & Help
Life in the Spirit is the unique privilege of the adopted child of God, and God’s ultimate goal for us as his children is glorification: to be conformed to the image of his Son. God has nothing less in mind for you than a full restoration of who he created you to be and what he created you to do. When Paul says we will be “glorified” with Christ, he is looking all the way back to Genesis 1-2, reminding us of God’s original intent in creation, and promising us a full restoration of all that has been lost, for us and for the creation. But none of that means we avoid the harsh realities of this broken world and the suffering here. In fact, our future glorification actually increases the suffering here, as we are now called to forsake the kingdom of self and the ways of the world in order to live for the kingdom of God. Thankfully, in the midst of our suffering, the Spirit is with us, sharpening our hope, helping us in our weakness, and carrying us through to glory!
February 6, 2022 - Steve Hart