Romans 8:18 - Look Beyond the Gloom to the Glory!!!
Romans 8:18 (NKJV) For I consider that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in
us.
Romans 8:18 (NLT) Yet what we suffer now is
nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us
later.
INTRODUCTION
The entire creation has been affected by
mans sin and is subject to decay. One day, when
our redemption is complete, and our bodies, like
our spirits, have been renewed, creation itself
will be fully redeemed. Till then, mortality
means suffering. For us, and for nature. We know
that our sufferings are insignificant when
compared to the glory that awaits us. But till then,
we can only look ahead, confident and eager,
waiting for Jesus to return. [The 365-Day Devotional
Commentary]
We are not frustrated by the suffering we
experience or see in our world because we have hope.
When Jesus returns, we will enter into glorious
liberty! The Spirit is the beginning of the harvest
and assures us that the best is yet to come.
[Chapter by Chapter Bible Commentary by Warren
Wiersbe]
COMMENTARY PEARL
Seeing Beyond
There's never been a scientific
instrument quite like the James Webb Space Telescope,
which has been sent millions of miles away from
Earth into orbit around the sun. The telescope's
18 gold-plated mirrors capture infrared light,
allowing astronomers to observe more of the universe
than ever before. Each time a new and more
powerful telescope sends back pictures of the
heavens, we have an opportunity to grow in awe at the
size of God's creation.
When the apostle Paul reflected on his
present sufferings, he knew by faith that there is a
bigger picture beyond what his senses could
register. What he and fellow Christians have endured
in this world are "not worthy to be compared
with the glory which shall be revealed in us." As
he thought about the persecutions he was
experiencing - whippings, beatings, and being jailed for
his faith - his spiritual eyes were lifted ever
higher to the heavens and to a glorious future.
Like peering through a powerful telescope, Paul
knew that his present sufferings were small
compared with the reality of the coming glory.
In truth, the glorious beauties of heaven
are found in Jesus Christ - and the glory that
will "be revealed in us" is the magnificent
character of our Savior. The "sufferings of this
present time" help shape and develop us as children
of God. The most powerful telescope cannot show
us what we will finally look like, for "it has
not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we
know that when He is revealed, we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He is" (1 John
3:2).
Dear Jesus, I know the sufferings I now
experience are temporary, only a small blip in the
light of a glorious eternity with You. [The Most
Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts]
COMMENTARY
The years of self-denial, of privation,
of trial, affliction, and persecution that Paul
endured, he called a moment. The things of the
present time were not considered worth mentioning
when compared with the eternal weight of glory
that awaited them when the warfare should be
over. These very afflictions were God's workmen,
ordained for the perfection of Christian character.
Whatever may be the circumstances of the Christian,
however dark and mysterious may be the ways of
Providence, however great his deprivation and suffering,
he may look away from them all to the unseen
and the eternal. He has the blessed assurance
that all things are working for his good
He was not able to find words of
sufficient force to express the excellency of that
glory, honor, and immortality which believers would
receive when Christ should come. Compared with the
scene upon which his mind's eye was dwelling, all
temporal afflictions were but momentary, light
afflictions, unworthy of thought. Viewed in the light of
the cross, the things of this life were vanity
and emptiness. The glory that attracted him was
substantial, weighty, durable, beyond the power of
language to describe. 6BC1099-1100
In all ages Satan has persecuted the
people of God. He has tortured them and put them to
death, but in dying they became conquerors. They
bore witness to the power of One mightier than
Satan. Wicked men may torture and kill the body,
but they cannot touch the life that is hid with
Christ in God. They can incarcerate men and women
in prison walls, but they cannot bind the
spirit.
Through trial and persecution the glory -
the character - of God is revealed in His chosen
ones. The believers in Christ, hated and
persecuted by the world, are educated and disciplined
in the school of Christ. On earth they walk in
narrow paths; they are purified in the furnace of
affliction. They follow Christ through sore conflicts;
they endure self- denial and experience bitter
disappointments; but thus they learn the guilt and woe of
sin, and they look upon it with abhorrence. Being
partakers of Christ's sufferings, they can look beyond
the gloom to the glory, saying, "I reckon that
the sufferings of this present time are not
worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us." Romans 8:18. AA576,7
While the Lord has not promised His people
exemption from trials, He has promised that which is
far better. He has said, "As thy days, so shall
thy strength be." "My grace is sufficient for
thee: for My strength is made perfect in
weakness." Deuteronomy 33:25; 2 Corinthians 12:9. If
you are called to go through the fiery furnace
for His sake, Jesus will be by your side even as
He was with the faithful three in Babylon.
Those who love their Redeemer will rejoice at
every opportunity of sharing with Him humiliation
and reproach. The love they bear their Lord
makes suffering for His sake sweet. MB30
The Power of Eternal Thinking
A famous Harvard study once showed a
direct connection between long-term thinking and
success. It revealed that the more people focus on
short-term gain, the more likely they are to fail.
Those who focus on what feels good right now
are doomed to be unsuccessful.
For Christians, this should be obvious.
When we talk of long-term thinking, we call it
eternity. Were not thinking 40 or 50 years into the
future. Were thinking trillions and trillions of
years into the future.
Living with eternity in mind will make
you the most successful person possible. When
you think long-term - when you consider what God
has in store for you in eternity - you can
handle the momentary problems that come your way.
Romans 8:17-18 says, Since we are his
children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for
his people, and we will also possess with Christ
what God has kept for him; for if we share
Christs suffering, we will also share his glory. I
consider that what we suffer at this present time
cannot be compared at all with the glory that is
going to be revealed to us (GNT).
If youre a follower of Christ, one day
youll be rewarded for what youve done with what
youve been given. Use your talents, time,
treasure, and influence for Gods purposes, and
youll be rewarded for those choices. The verses
above also say well be rewarded in heaven for
what Jesus did: We will also possess with
Christ what God has kept for him.
Youve got a lot to look forward to in
heaven. Your current pain and problems may hurt for
a while - but its just a little while
compared to eternity.
Its not easy to be a believer. Its
not easy to do whats right. Sometimes its
not easy to tell others about Jesus. Its not
easy to tithe. But the benefits of following
Jesus and obeying what he teaches will far outlast
the pain and discomfort.
Dont focus only on instant results and
your present troubles. Youve got too much to
look forward to in eternity to settle for
short-term thinking. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
ILLUSTRATION
While in the middle east, I met a man
who'd been tortured by ISIS for studying social
justice and human rights. One night in prison, he
prayed, God, if You exist, then save me. A short
time later, bombs fell on the prison. The attack
enabled my new friend to escape to a neighboring
country, and that's where believers introduced him to
Jesus.
Now he's in a dilemma. He can't return
home because his father and brothers have vowed
to kill him for converting to Christianity, and
the political situation in his country of
residence makes it impossible for him to get the
necessary paperwork to remain there legally.
My friend suffers from posttraumatic
stress disorder, and he lives under constant threat
of being deported to certain death, but he will
not turn his back on Jesus. He knows that Jesus
suffered for his sake, and he counts it a privilege
to suffer for Jesus in return.
Love for Jesus and others compels him to
daily seek out other refugees who speak his
language, even though doing so puts his life at risk.
When he finds them, he shares the gospel with
them. He disciples those who respond, so their
spiritual roots go deep. The reality of hope amid a
present hopeless situation and the promise of
heaven's future glories motivate him.
This man humbles me. Sharing Jesus's
suffering is something I know little about in my
secure surroundings. I have much to learn, and I'm
thankful for his example. Grace Fox
Faith Step: Pray that persecuted
believers will remain steadfast in their faith.
[Mornings With Jesus 2021 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY
Romans 8:18 - Look Beyond the Gloom to the
Glory!!!
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2002/20020725-2011.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
