“HAPPILY EVER AFTER"

24 “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?”

Romans 8:24

Everything started perfectly. God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them. He made sure the universe had all it needed to sustain life and reflect His glory. Then He created man, an intelligently designed being made in His image. When God finished creating, He looked at all of creation and concluded, “It was very good.”

Then, the first man and woman disobeyed God’s word and sin came into the world. This led the Lord to curse everything He ever created, including man. Under that curse, all creation groans: the ground grew thorns and thistles and man now has to work hard for a living, all women must experience painful childbirth, and ultimately, death entered the world.

Even now, all of creation still groans. Destructive catastrophes, devastating wars, deadly diseases, dreadful pestilences, broken families, teenage pregnancy, child labor, drug addiction, brutal crimes, worldwide poverty, and injustice are just some of the awful results of sin.

More importantly, the children of God, though experiencing a foretaste of God’s deliverance, also groan and eagerly await the redemption of their bodies. Christians long for the day when sin is completely eradicated from this world.

In our verse of the day, Paul gives the Romans hope and encouragement by telling them about the future glory that awaits everyone who believes in Jesus the Messiah. In succeeding verses, he talks about God’s promise of resurrection to all believers, who will be given new bodies fit for heaven. He reminds them that this world is not their home. God’s promise will be fulfilled at a later time. They may not see it yet, but they should hope to witness its fulfillment one day.

We are anxious to see the culmination of our redemption but for the time being, God gives us a sample of what's to come. He enables us to overcome sin through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. He is the downpayment, our deposit, guaranteeing our full inclusion into the family of God. He is the promise that God will one day release us from all sin, pain, and suffering.

Our future is something we can always look forward to and should give us hope, especially during these challenging times. Everyone groans and longs to see the end of this pandemic, the war in Ukraine, drug and crime problems, and political issues. Even if all these things are gone, the backdrop is still nothing compared to what God promised to His people. A day is coming when God will lift the curse of sin and all creation will be restored to its original state: a paradise. When that day comes, there will be no more sin and everything attached to it.

4 “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

That’s why we need to fix our eyes beyond what is seen. Our present suffering means nothing when juxtaposed with our future. If we hold on to Christ, we will live happily ever after.

Pursue the Saviour today!