Labor and Delivery

If children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him (Romans 8:17)

Human beings are God’s highest and greatest creation. Only a human being can be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit and be made glorious by God. No wonder then that the evil one comes to destroy humanity. The devil knows that in Christ God has chosen you before the foundation of the world to become like Christ. Our destiny is to become a son of God and an heir to God’s kingdom, a joint heir with Christ, our brother.

The devil comes to destroy you at the moment of conception. In our mother’s womb we are shaped by iniquity. Some people move in obvious sin while others move in the hidden sin of their hearts and minds. Without Christ, people will either explode or implode, but the results are the same. Self-righteous people implode while blatantly unrighteous people explode.

We all have fallen short of God’s glory because people without exception are sinners. The reality is that in Christ we no longer have to fall short of His glory. He can restore us and make us glorious that He might be glorified. God wants your life to be His billboard, His neon light flashing His character and power. People come to know God’s love and His power by the people He conforms to the likeness of His Son. How does he make us like His son?

The answer is short but not sweet. God’s glory comes into our lives when we change. Suffering precipitates change. If you are fat and want your body to change, you’ll suffer saying no to certain foods and habits to see it change. Change always gets people attention and in Christ we change from glory to glory. People recognize the before and after but they do not see the in between that’s necessary to bring the change. We can have the blessing if we submit to the suffering required to receive it. Obedience comes before blessing. Labor comes before delivery. The work of sowing comes before the joy of reaping and the cross before the joy of the resurrection. In Christ suffering always produces positive change. Glory!