Life as an Heir of God: A Look Into Romans 8නියැදිය

Day 4: Creation Longs for What You Have

All creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22 NLT)

“The creation was subjected to futility” (Romans 8:20, ESV), not because God is vengeful but because he’s compassionate. Our frustration and futility play an essential role in driving us in the direction of a Savior (8:21); we need to know something is wrong in order to turn to the one who can make things right. A prosperous life with no prospect of death or loss would create an illusion that all is well and God isn’t needed. But in our brokenness and pain, we learned to long for something more.

That “something more” has been building throughout human existence as God’s redemptive plan has unfolded. Like the pains of childbirth, full of both excitement and agony, the new creation has been birthed into this world and is still coming forth through those who believe. Jesus came in “the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4, ESV), and two millennia later, anticipation for ultimate fulfillment is still growing. Other religions have their opinions on the consummation of the age; we have within us the one who rules the ages.

That puts us in a fascinating position. Our world is subject to futility, yet we are heirs of a Kingdom that isn’t, and for now we live in both. We face the challenges of navigating two realms simultaneously, and those two realms are often at odds with one another. Our calling is to bring incorruptible Kingdom life into earthly experience however we can.

In fact, that’s one of the ways God’s children are unveiled. In as many ways as possible, we orient our faith, prayers, thoughts, words, and actions toward seeing God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). We are to live as outposts of heaven in a fallen world, the human intersection of spiritual and material realms.

Re-Envision Your Position

You may not have thought of yourself as a connecting point between heaven and earth, but you are. Jesus showed us what that looks like (John 1:51; 5:19; 12:49-50) and calls us to follow his example (John 14:12-14; 20:21). We are his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20)—and even more remarkably, his embassies, places where his Kingdom is made manifest.

The world has been groaning with the agony of labor pains, not knowing the fulfillment to come. We live with excited anticipation of it and can even give people a glimpse of the unseen realm by making it visible in our lives. The foretaste of fulfillment in us—peace with God, the righteousness of Jesus, the power of the Spirit, and anything else that represents the environment of heaven—feeds the hunger of a world yearning for more.