Author: mary

Romans 8:29-30 takes us through a study of what the Christian life looks like. These verses explain that “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” It is miraculous that from the beginning of time, God knew which people would choose them, and He chose them to be like His Son. He made them heirs along with His firstborn Son: Jesus. It then goes on to say that since He chose them, He called them to Him and He imparted His glory to His sons and daughters!

These verses show us the work God does on His part. The only thing He requires of us is to accept His great gift of salvation. But His work was much greater than anything we could ever do. He foreknew us from the beginning of time. He predestined us as His children. He called us to live a life according to His purpose. And those He called He justified (or made right), and those He justified, He glorified! We will receive an eternal glory because of the work God has done! What a beautiful process!

God’s gift is free for His people. It didn’t cost us anything. But it cost Him everything. He gave up His only Son to rescue us from our sins. His Son gave up His Sonship in heaven. It cost them so much, but it was worth it. It was the plan- what God wanted to do.

Romans 8:28 tends to be a verse that Christians know very well. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” However, to understand verse 28, we must first read verse 27, “And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.” This verse is so encouraging! God knows all hearts- He knows YOUR heart! He created you, so of course He knows you! Not only that, but He also knows what the Holy Spirit is saying when He is groaning for you. So if you put those two things together, you get a pretty powerful God who knows His people and intercedes for His people!

This thought makes verse 28 a little easier to understand. God, who knows our hearts, intercedes for us through the Holy Spirit, and since He is God three-in-one, He knows what the Holy Spirit is saying and can plead for us in accordance with His will. So He causes all things to work together for the good of us when we love God. That good is in accordance with His will! So He will not work for good outside of His will (and really, is there any good outside of His will)!

These verses are misinterpreted so often to fit the needs of the person who reads it. But we should take hope in knowing that God knows our hearts AND His will and knows what we need. And that is good!

Romans 8:26 tells us that the Holy Spirit will help us in our weakness. When we do not know what God wants us to pray, the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. God helps us in our weaknesses. As Christians we will still experience weakness. We will struggle with sin, and we will struggle with our own selfish desires from time to time. We will need God‘s intervention and the help of the Holy Spirit.

Paul wrote about this in 2 Corinthians 12 as he was dealing with his weakness. He begged the Lord to take it away from him. But he learned an important lesson. God told him that His grace is all Paul needed. His power works best in weakness. Paul’s attitude toward his weakness changed. He said in verse 9 that he was glad to boast about his weaknesses so that the power of Christ could work through him. In verse 10 he said, “For when I am weak, then I am strong. Paul understood that through his weakness, God‘s strength would shine.

Have you given over your weaknesses to the Lord? Have you understood that in your weakness, God’s strength will shine and be a testimony to others? Give your weaknesses over to Him today and watch Him work in amazing ways. His strength is the only strength that can carry us through. Rather than telling someone they can accomplish something because of their strength, try telling them to lean on God and His strength!

What is it that you are hoping? Do you hope that your children will grow, have successful jobs, settle down and raise a family? Do you hope that your spouse will love you all of your days? Do you hope that you will advance in your job ? Do you hope you will get a raise?

Many of our hopes and dreams tend to focus on ourselves and our families. They focus on a temporary time and worldly things. As Christians, we have a greater hope. Psalms 130 is a cry to the God of hope. The writer says in verse 5 that he is counting on the Lord. He puts his hope in God’s Word and longs for the Lord. The writer goes on to say in verse 7 that he is urging the people of Israel to hope in the Lord. It says that with the Lord there is unfailing love. His redemption overflows.

The hope we find in the Lord is redemption. He rescues us from our former lives, our selfishness, and things that are not good for us. With God there is always hope: the hope of the future, the hope of what God is already doing, and the hope of a changed life. There is the hope of restored relationships. There is the hope of unfailing love. All of these are eternal hopes and not temporary hopes like we tend to have when we only think of ourselves. His hope never fails. So hope in the things of God today and find a future with Him.

Look around you. What do you see? Do you see the hustle and bustle of the seasons coming and going? Do you see the pain and suffering of people living without God? Do you see hardships? Or do you see a world that God created and its beauty? Look up and you will see a different sky every single day. Some days the clouds stretch across the sky like cotton balls. Other days there is not a cloud to be found, just a sea of blue. The sunrise is new every morning and the sunset is never the same as it closes out the day. The night sky shows the handiwork of our God. The cry of a newborn baby shows the DNA at work. He created all of this in unison, in one accord, crying out to God their king.

Yet we still see death and decay. Just as Romans 8:20 and 21 say, the world is still subject to God’s curse. And so it groans along with the rest of us for the day when our salvation will be fulfilled. One day Christ will return and restore what was broken. What a great hope we have in His creation as this evidence of the great love of God. We know that as beautiful as His creation is now, it is nothing like what is to come. The Bible says there will be a new heaven and a new earth. However, this will be for believers to live in perfect harmony with His creation. Imagine the beauty and splendor! All of creation will praise His name forever!

What a great hope we have as believers. We have so much to look forward to. We should be living every day like we are longing for His new kingdom. It should give us a sense of urgency for those we love to know Him and a sense of peace knowing that He is in control.