From Groaning to Glory

Charles Spurgeon, et al.

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)

Romans 8:17-18, "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. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

What grace is this, that those who were once rebels and enemies of God, are now called His children. Not merely pardoned, not only adopted--but made heirs of God Himself and co-heirs with Christ. This is a staggering truth, and one far beyond human merit or imagination. It is God's sovereign grace on display, lifting the ruined sons of Adam into the royal family of Heaven.

To be a child of God is the highest privilege known to man. It is not something earned, but granted by divine grace to those who are united to Christ by faith. And with sonship comes inheritance, not merely an inheritance from God, but God Himself as our portion. We are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.

But there is a condition, "If indeed we share in His sufferings." This is not a condition of merit, but of identity. To belong to Christ is to walk the path He walked. There can be no crown without the cross; no glory without the grief. This world that hated Him, will not embrace His followers. And while our afflictions may differ in kind and degree--every true believer will in some form, share in the fellowship of His sufferings.

How can that be? Because the weight of glory is infinite. The suffering is momentary, yet the glory is eternal. The trials are temporal--yet the inheritance is incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading. If we are to reign with Christ, we must be content to suffer with Him. The cross is the stepping-stone to the crown. The cross we bear today, is but the prelude to a crown of righteousness that Christ Himself will place upon our heads.

Believer, are you weary under the burden of sorrow, temptation or persecution. Are you misunderstood, slandered or lonely in your walk with Christ. Take heart. These are the marks of sonship. Do not look merely at what is seen. Fix your gaze on what is eternal. You are an heir of God. You are a co-heir with the risen, reigning Christ. Every tear shall be wiped away. Every groan shall be turned to praise. Every trial is preparing you for a glory that shall be revealed in you--a glory that is nothing less than full conformity to Christ, and everlasting communion with Him.

Yet even in the midst of these afflictions, the Spirit testifies of something far greater--the glory that will be revealed in us. This is not a hope based on feelings or fantasies. It is the Spirit-wrought assurance that suffering is not the end, but the appointed path to everlasting glory.

Paul, a man well acquainted with agony and loss, weighs both suffering and glory in the scales of eternity--and declares that our sufferings are not even worthy of comparison.

Our sufferings, though real, are fleeting shadows. The glory that awaits is full, eternal and transforming. It shall be revealed IN us, not merely before us, or around us, but WITHIN us. The glory of Christ shall shine in and through all the redeemed, when we are made like Him and be with Him forever.

Believer, when the burden is heavy and the path is dark, let your heart anchor itself to this truth--you are an heir of glory! You may groan today, but you will be glorified tomorrow. These light and momentary afflictions, are preparing you for an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs them all. Keep your eyes on the unseen. The sorrow is passing--the glory is everlasting.

"Father, help us to endure the sufferings of this present time with hope and perseverance. Fix our eyes on the glory that is to come, and let the promise of our inheritance in Christ sustain us through every trial. May we rejoice, not in the ease of our path, but in the certainty of our destination. In Jesus' name, Amen."