From groans to glory

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that is going to be revealed to us … For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.” Romans 8:18;22 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “From groans to glory”

Over the last couple of years in our church and in the families of my Facebook friends, there have been many babies born. And boy-oh-boy do the new parents and grandparents love to show all the cute pictures and tell all the stories about how their little baby or grandbaby did the funniest, cutest, thing – spoke their first word, took their first step, or pooped on Daddy as he was in the middle of changing an already poopy diaper. You would think that their little baby, their little grandchild, is the cutest, smartest, most adorable little baby there has ever been. And of course, to them, that baby is exactly that.

But for all the dozens and hundreds and zillions of adorable pictures and cute stories I’ve seen, I’m pretty sure I’m not aware of a single father posting a single picture of his wife in the middle of the birthing process. I haven’t seen a single video clip of a woman in the throes of intense labor pains, her back arched, her eyes bugged out, her face purple with veins popping out all over, reaching up and grabbing her husband by the collar, dragging his face down to hers, nose-to-nose, and shouting, “I hate you! You did this to me!”

No, those scenes don’t make it to Facebook or Instagram. The birth of a baby is a beautiful thing – after it’s over. Once the child has arrived and the pain is over and the mess is cleaned up, that’s when we see those cute pictures of a smiling mother holding a sleeping baby and her adoring husband with his arm around her shoulder, everyone is all smiles. But everything just prior to that was a screaming bloody mess.

That’s close to the scene Paul describes for us in this section of Romans chapter eight. In this section Paul paints a picture of a creation that is groaning in pain as it rapidly approaches what is essentially a birthing process that will lead to a new creation.

I realize the analogy isn’t perfect. On the one hand, despite the extra weight, the immense demands on the woman’s body, the midnight urges for weird food, and all the rest that goes with being pregnant, most women agree that pregnancy is a gift from God. The baby in the womb is a miracle, and they willingly endure all of it for the sake of their beautiful baby. By contrast, in Paul’s analogy, the corruption and pain caused by sin is not beautiful – it’s ugly and awful, but the similarity lies in what comes next. In the case of the pregnant woman, labor leads to birth and the delivery of that beautiful baby. In the case of the creation, labor leads to the end of corruption and the birth of a beautiful new creation. The point Paul is making with this illustration is that things can be tough in this life and in this world, but we who belong to Christ are all heading to something much better – this is all leading to something very good.

The purpose of this passage is to give us hope and assurance as we deal with the trials and tribulations that come with life in this world. To do that, Paul reminds us of two important truths regarding the reality of what we are experiencing right now in this life. We will explore those truths tomorrow and the next day. For today just know that God is leading us from groans to glory.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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