ARE YOU JOINING IN WITH THE GROANING?
- Key Verse
- For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:22-23)
READ THE CHAPTER
Central Truth
The entire creation is groaning and longing for the return of Jesus Christ and to be redeemed from its bondage to sin and death.
Reflections
For most of my life I did not believe in God. I spent my life pursuing satisfaction and fulfillment in material things. I literally groaned and longed for that great job I desired, or that new car I wanted to drive, or that vacation destination I wanted to visit. But I found that when I received any of these things, they did not provide the joy and fulfillment I thought they would bring. I was still longing for something more.When Christ saved me from my addictions to drugs, alcohol, and worldly living, I was forever changed. According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." I began reading the Word, praying, and surrounding myself with others who could "spur [me] on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24, NIV). I was living a new life in Christ and felt true joy for the first time.
As I look at the world today, and I see wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, and signs in the heavens spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, I am reminded of the nearness of His return. For nine months, I watched my wife battle the "pains of childbirth" as she moved closer to the birth of Grace. Though it was hard to witness the one I love going through such painful experiences, God reminded me of the promise that was awaiting us on the other side. I knew there was a day coming in which "new life" would burst forth, and the pain of the present time would be but a distant memory.
As we walk through the trials and tribulations ahead, may we be reminded of God's steadfast love for us. May we join in with the groaning and long for His return. May we groan no longer for temporary things but for Him who is eternal, whose name is Yahweh, the maker of heaven and earth, the everlasting God of our salvation! He is standing at the door and knocking (Revelation 3:20)!
Discussion Questions
1. Do you hear Christ knocking at the door of your heart?2. What worldly things do you long for that are keeping you from intimacy with Christ?
3. What desires do you have that do not align with the desires of God's heart as revealed to us in Scripture?
4. Do you groan and long for Christ's return?
WEEKLY FAMILY ACTIVITY
Romans 8-12 (June 4-9)
Read Romans 12:1-8.
* What does it mean to be a living sacrifice to God?
* How does this show your worship of Him?
* In what ways are you tempted to copy the "patterns of this world"?
* What does it mean to let God transform (change) the way you think? (Read as a family 2 Corinthians 3:18 and Galatians 5:22-26.)
* The Scripture says we all have something that is useful for the church body, what is that "something" in your life?
* Do you know what your gifts and abilities are?
* How can you use these to bring glory to God?
Activity: Get two pieces of blank paper for every person. On the first piece of paper, draw the earth. Within the earth, write or draw the things that represent the "patterns of this world" (examples: being all about money, popularity, success, grades, wearing inappropriate clothes to be "cool," etc.).
On the second piece of paper, draw a bowl of fruit and write all the ways you can be transformed by God changing you.
Comments
The views expressed under “Comments” are solely
those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Watermark Community Church.
Tom Liggitt
June 4, 2012 05:57 AM
Anthony great thoughts on Romans. Have a great day. TL
Kelly Rutherford
June 4, 2012 07:52 AM
Thank you for the reminder of how new life conquers our present battles. I am encouraged, as I await the arrival of my first child, to remember that the pains of childbirth bring life! What struck me this morning was how the Spirit helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us (v. 26-27). Also, God is for us and for our good (v. 28). We have perfect help in the Creator as we, His creation, groans for His return. Thank you, Father, for your help!
Lydia Polenski
June 4, 2012 09:33 AM
Dear Anthony, my beloved husband, How beautiful it is to be on the other side of the pains of childbirth and enjoying the blessing of the "new life" in our little Grace that God has given us. With the challenges that we have had with her collic, I am reminded that as long as we are on this earth we will face many different types of birth pains. The good news is that through the power of Christ we have the strength to overcome them, which gives us hope! I am thankful to be walking through lifes trials with you Anthony as we eagerly look forward to Christ's return!
Bobbie
June 4, 2012 09:49 AM
Great devotional, Jonathan! Loved the illustration! And with you, I long for His return, to make all things news! Amen...maranantha! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Elaine Word
June 4, 2012 09:53 AM
Such Good News, Anthony! May our longings and groanings all be cries of longing for the coming King. May we look for Him, and be actively pursuing those lost and hurting who need to know of Him before His final coming. I rejoice greatly in knowing that "Nothing can separate us from the love of God... " which in its full is one of the most awesome verses ever written. We are blessed... we are!
Sue Bohlin
June 4, 2012 09:55 AM
Thanks for thinking deeply about the groanings of creation, Anthony. What ministered to my soul this morning was the antidote to the painful groanings of a creation under the "bondage of corruption": the future glory that awaits us on the other side. As Paul also writes in 2 Cor. 4, these present sufferings (and groanings) are NOTHING compared to the eternal weight of glory we look forward to. I love thinking about C.S. Lewis' comment: "It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare." The future glory of God's children in view of today's sufferings, I think, is like comparing the brilliance of the noonday sun to the darkness we create when cupping our hands together. It makes today's hard times so much easier to bear.
paul rutherford
June 4, 2012 10:47 AM
What an opportunity, Anthony, to get to comment on Romans 8! And you are just the man for the job, way to go! Creation, indeed groans for redemption. There is definitely something wrong with this world, isn't there? Things are somehow not as they ought to be. War, famine, drought, disease, disaster, so much pain and suffering even from just the natural world. This world is broken, and as we learned Friday, Jesus is the answer, albeit a Sunday school answer, an answer not unable to repair the deep wounds inflicted by this world, an answer not unable to salve the festering wounds we inflict upon one another. He is the answer and what an answer, indeed, sufficient for everything we need. Thanks for sharing, mister Polenski.