Romans 8:18-26 (TNIV)

¹⁸ I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹ The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹ that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²² We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴ For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Reflection:

Come and listen.  What do you hear?  It’s the groan of creation.  Why does creation groan?  Being subjected to frustration, creation was put into bondage to decay.  Come and listen more.  What else do you hear?  It is the groan of “already not yet” coming from the children of God.  Having been saved but we wait for more.  Come and listen again.  Is there anything more?  Yes, it’s the groan of the Spirit – wordless intercessions for our sake.  Yet in all of the groans, there is something even deeper and far greater.  It is a pervading hope that rises above the groans and an eager expectation of something glorious to come.  It is something unseen and unfulfilled, but yes we can patiently wait for it.  Without condemnation, dread or hesitation, we can take hold of the unseen and persevere in waiting for our faithful God to fulfill all of His promises and to reveal the power, glory and honor of His Son Jesus Christ.

Response to the Transmission:

Let’s thank our Father God for the incredible gift of hope that He has given to us in Christ.  And we experience this hope through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. How incredible that the Holy Spirit also intercedes even now for our sake!  Let’s ask the Spirit to help us in our weakness as we wait in hope for all that is to come.  Thank you, God.  Thank you, Jesus.

Romans 8:1-17 (TNIV)

¹ Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, ² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful humanity to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in human flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

⁵ Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind controlled by the sinful nature is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The sinful mind is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

⁹ You, however, are not controlled by the sinful nature but are in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Reflection:

S’more – a roasted marshmallow treat.  But what really is the “more” in a s’more?  Some say that it’s the chocolate that takes it over the top and turns an ordinary campfire into an extraordinary campfire!  Well, what really is the “more” in the “more than meets the eye?”  It’s the life in the Spirit!  And if the freedom and eternal life we have in Christ aren’t enough of a treasure for us, we get to live out the “more” in our lives here and now through the power of the Holy Spirit.   The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead gives life to our mortal bodies, our jars of clay.  That same Spirit fills our hearts with increasing desires to please God.  The Spirit testifies that we belong to God, we are God’s children and we are co-heirs with Christ.  This is the “more.”  This is truly the “more” than meets the eye.

Response to the Transmission:

Because the Spirit dwells within us, we can experience the Spirit’s powerful presence every day.  Let’s pray that there will be a greater leading of the Spirit in our lives and a greater following on our part.  As the Spirit renews our hearts and thoughts, take a moment to pray and surrender to the Spirit’s desires and ways.

Romans 6:1-10 (TNIV)

¹ What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ² By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? ³ Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴ We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵ If we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶ For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Reflection:

In the movie “Shawshank Redemption,” the story is told by Red who had been in prison for twenty years and finally gets his freedom.  However, his newfound freedom brings him fears of the unfamiliar “outside” world and even is tempted to return to the predictable confines of the old prison walls.  Are Red’s fears unreasonable or irrational?  Perhaps not.  Many times, we are no different from Red.  We have been given freedom from our sins through Christ’s death and resurrection, but why do we feel like we’re still in prison and don’t live out our freedom in Christ?  We get trapped by the world’s expectations and standards – things that are seen, temporary things and outward things.  Only when we truly become dead to the things of this world, we can grasp the treasure of God’s glory and we can live out the freedom in the all-surpassing power of the Holy Spirit.

Response to the Transmission:

Even though the old self has been crucified with Christ, we are to do away with sin and to be slaves to sin no longer.  With genuine hearts, let’s pray for God’s mercy that changes us, and believe and ask Him to help us live in the true freedom and power of the Spirit.

Psalm 116:8-10 (NLT)

“He has saved me from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling.

And so I walk in the LORD’s presence

as I live here on earth!

I believed in you, so I said,

“I am deeply troubled, LORD.””

2 Corinthians 4:13 (TNIV)

“I believed; therefore I have spoken.”

Reflection:

When Paul quoted this verse from Psalm 116 in 2 Corinthians, what spoke to Paul’s heart?  Paul was able to see the believing, yet unseen, heart of the psalmist’s trust in the LORD.   Being hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down, given over to death, and even challenged by the Corinthian church, Paul too believed in God.  He spoke out and preached Jesus Christ regardless of his overwhelming circumstances.  Just like the psalmist and Paul, we too can proclaim our trust in God in the midst of any kind of hardship.  It doesn’t matter whether death is in our face or the pressing needs of family, work or school are weighing us down; the degree of the hardship is not as important.  The important question, however, is how then do we respond to God?

Response to the Transmission:

Will our response be a greater belief and trust in God’s faithful love?  Will it be deeper prayers and louder cries that lead us to confidently proclaim God’s truth?  Take a moment to see the troubles in our lives, but rather than just stopping there, let’s look to the Lord and repeatedly declare that “I will walk in the LORD’s presence as I live here on earth.”

2 Corinthians 4:1-12 (TNIV) 4:13-18 (MSG)

¹ Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. ² Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³ And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵ For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. ⁶ For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. ⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

^13-15We’re not keeping this quiet, not on your life. Just like the psalmist who wrote, “I believed it, so I said it,” we say what we believe. And what we believe is that the One who raised up the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive. Every detail works to your advantage and to God’s glory: more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!

^16-18So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.

Reflection:

In ancient times before banks were around, people came up with crazy ideas to store their treasures - burying them in a field, stuffing chimneys or hiding them behind a wall.  One way was to store the treasure inside the most inconspicuous household jars, where no one would suspect the treasure inside.  Although the jar itself had very little value, it would become extremely valuable because of the treasure within.  This is who we are.  We are the jars of clay – unsightly, commonplace and worth little on our own, but because of the glory of Christ dwelling in us, we are prized and treasured.  A difference, however, is that this divine treasure isn’t meant to be hidden away but to be displayed and proclaimed.  Although on the outside, we may not seem like much – downtrodden with troubles, struggling to believe God’s word, hiding behind religious facades and losing heart,   the truth is that we have this incredible treasure – an all-surpassing power of the Holy Spirit that is at work in us.

Response to the Transmission:

Let us not fix our eyes on what is “seen” – our feelings, opinions, success/failures, or even hardships, but let us fix our eyes on the “unseen” treasure of Christ.  As we go about today, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us to catch those moments of struggling and discouragement and turn our gaze back on Christ, our treasure and our Savior.