LOOKING FOR BETTER DAYS
THE SPIRIT’S LIBERTY: ANTICIPATION

We have every right to be looking for better days! God has promised! The Spirit has set us free from the guilt of our past, the worry of the present and the fear of the future and has filled us with the joy of past forgiveness, the peace of present provision and the hope of promised glory. Just listen to the liberty we anticipate:

18 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. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Romans 8:18-21)

Paul, the Apostle, lists three contrasts in these verses:

FROM SUFFERING TO GLORY (v.18)
Suffering in the present is an undeniable fact of living in this fallen world. Last weekend, as I was typing these words, I got a message on Twitter from Lifeway’s President, Thom Rainer, “Flood waters rising in our home. We are 4 hours south of Nash. Doesn’t look good for the house. I will praise Him in all things.” Here is a man who has invested his life in faithful service to God, and this week he’s been trying to salvage what the floods didn’t destroy. Being a dedicated servant of God doesn’t make us immune from suffering, but we know that whatever hell we have is confined to this life and it will be heaven forever, while whatever heaven a sinner has will only be experienced now and hell is forever. When we weigh in the balance temporal trouble with eternal enjoyments, the sufferings of this life are as dust while the weight of glory to come is beyond calculation.

FROM FUTILITY TO HOPE (v.19-20)
Whether it be tornadoes in Mississippi, earthquakes in Haiti or floods in Tennessee, we observe that creation is in convulsions—the calamity of the curse. Creation didn’t ask for it—it became subjected to it because of Adam’s rebellion against God. Yet, even so, there is hope for better days! He has a plan where futility will give rise to hope. Evil will be overruled and God will take the worst and bring about the best. We see this on Calvary, where Christ became a curse and in so doing brought hope to the world. God will reverse the curse in all its effects!

FROM CORRUPTION TO DELIVERANCE (v.21)
Everywhere we see the corruption and contamination wrought by sin. Disease, deterioration and death mark the effects of evil. There was a beautiful Easter Lilly blooming with rich fragrance on my front porch. But, as the days have gone on, the flowers began to wither and turn brown—till now, not one bloom remains. That is the course of nature—the downward drag of corruption. But there is a day of deliverance appointed when Christ returns! Eden’s flowers will bloom again and paradise lost, will be regained.

I’m looking for better days! How about you?