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

Day 3: You Can Display God

The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19, NIV)

From the depths of brokenness and futility, the world is crying out for God. Many people don’t know that’s the cry of their heart. They push God away because they think that if he’s real at all, their heart could never be satisfied in him. But deep inside, that’s every person’s longing and what we were created for.

There’s another longing that goes along with our longing for God and provides evidence that our deepest needs can be met after all. It’s a revelation of God’s children—those who know they are loved by him, filled with him, and joyfully satisfied in him. God’s primary way of revealing himself is through his people.

As Paul expresses it, this “eager expectation” looks to the future for fulfillment, but there are present implications too. This creation has been groaning “up to the present time” (8:22), and there’s an immediate need to answer. To paraphrase, “All of creation is waiting for you to step into who you really are and show them what the new creation looks like.” In other words, go ahead and be who you are in Christ. It’s time.

This ongoing revelation of God’s children—in part now, in full later—is vital. We often pray for an unmasking of evil—for the exposure of networks of drug trafficking, human trafficking, financial and political corruption, scams and frauds, and so on—but our prayers can’t stop there. Unmasking evil would simply expose the problems, but without a simultaneous revelation of God’s presence and power in those who love and serve him, we’d end up with a lot of cynicism and hopelessness. Yes, many in the world may reject us, but many more need to know that God lives and works among us. As the “hands and feet” of Jesus, we play an indispensable role in pointing people to him.

Re-Envision Your Purpose

A revelation of the children of God may have many facets, but one of them is surely that we’re called to live unexplainable lives that can only be attributed to God’s power and presence. We aren’t told that this groaning creation is eager for the Christian message—clearly it is not—but it is eager for Christ as he really is. The world is looking for a demonstration, not a doctrine.

By faith, we can live supernaturally, demonstrate the heart of the Father, reflect his image (as apples who haven’t fallen far from the tree), and display his presence in this world. A complete revelation of his children will come, but he is revealing us even now. See yourself as a crucial part of that revelation and live out your calling to the full.