Hope Series Week 4 : Day2
Hope: Devotional series
Week 4: Romans 8:18-28
Day 2:
Welcome to day 2 of week 4 in our series about Hope and today we will focus on Romans 8:21&22
“because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; “
“Class, you can go home early today if you draw me a baboon,” the teacher said to her grade one students. “But listen carefully,” she added, “you may not draw if you think of a pink baboon.” And with that, nobody could draw because everybody was thinking of a pink baboon. Everybody except Johnny. He finished his drawing quickly and rushed to the teacher's table, gave the paper to her, and started running out of the class.
“Johnny,” she called him back, “did you not think of a pink baboon?” “No, Ma'am,” he replied and turned around to run again. But his teacher persisted: “Johnny, then what did you think of?” Johnny answered: “I can't tell you, ma'am, because I’m scared you will tell my mother.”
After promising that she wouldn't tell his mother, Johnny told his teacher about the little kitten he picked up the previous day. He hid this kitten in his cupboard and his mother doesn't know about it. He just wants to get home to see if this kitten is alright.
Keep this story in mind as we talk about the power of vision. Vision helps people accomplish things that otherwise seemed impossible. Vision brings focus. Vision aligns people to work together. Vision is a picture of the future that inspires because it gives hope. This is true in any environment, but much more so if this vision is birthed by God and shared with people by His Spirit.
In this week’s passage, we are invited to consider this vision. Paul’s letter has been leading up to this point. Unfortunately, many have stopped at personal salvation and never continued the journey. That’s one of the reasons many Christians are so hung up on what we shouldn’t be thinking of, like the pink baboon, and never give careful consideration to the vision God now shares with us as His children. The vision of the future where the whole creation is set free from corruptibility and decay and all is filled with God’s glory. But, like Johnny in the little story, when our attention is grabbed by a purpose larger than ourselves, we accomplish things that otherwise seemed impossible.
People often disqualify themselves from being a person that lives with vision because they don't see themselves as leaders. But vision is actually part of our birthright as God’s children. That’s what Christ's death and resurrection accomplished: being set free from the past through inclusion in His death, we were raised with the King for His glorious purposes in our world. Paul writes that creation knows that God already shares this vision with us as His children. If creation knows this about us, why will we then disqualify ourselves?
Vision also empowers us to face our current realities, even when they are difficult. Paul writes about a groaning in creation because it still awaits total renewal. But he likens the groaning in creation to birth pains. The vision God shares with you is so powerful that it inspires belief that even suffering can become a birthplace of new life. This is the hope-filled mindset we are enabled by the Spirit to live with and when we give this vision of a renewed creation the proper consideration, it will become the lens through which we view everything: even our homes, workplaces, and communities.
As we prayerfully consider these Scriptures, let’s trust God to use us to share this vision with others.
Let’s pray: Father, all glory to you, for the freedom you have given us in Christ. A freedom to live for a much larger purpose. Holy Spirit help us to ponder these things and share this vision with others. In Jesus' name. Amen
