◄ What Does Romans 5:2 Mean? ►

How we rejoice in Jesus, Who is our risen, ascended, and glorified Lord! Three of His disciples glimpsed the brilliance of His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, when He was transfigured before their startled gaze. And the eyes of the apostle Paul were blinded by the dazzling glory of the Lord on the dusty road to Damascus.

As the redeemed of God and fellow-heirs with Christ, we are, by grace through faith, regarded as righteous in the eyes of God. Together with the disciples and apostles, we rejoice in the sure promise of the hope of God's glory, when our bodies will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye, to become like unto His glorious glorified body. 

How we celebrate this wonderful hope that has been laid out before us in the unbreakable, written Word of Almighty God, signed in blood by His Beloved Son, the living Word of God, and sealed by the eternally abiding Spirit of God.

Our hope in the glory of God is the earnest desire and joyful expectation of the consummation of God's rich promise to us, which is grounded on the sure foundation of His eternal Word and His unchangeable character, for then we shall see Him face to face in the fullness of His glory, when still more abundant blessings will be showered over our heads.

It is because of this sure hope of the glory of God that Paul can continue with the words: "More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident HOPE."

It is often the case that a carefree life of ease, abundance, and prosperity can cause us to take our focus off the eternal and on to the temporal, our prayer life can become less fervent and more mechanical, and the reality of Jesus' return does not burn in our heart. If suffering causes us to "set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth" - if suffering causes us to fall on our knees crying out to the Lord; if suffering causes us to put our hope in the Lord and the sure promise of His return, then shouldn't we also rejoice in our sufferings?

Paul encourages us to live every day for Christ, redeeming the time, and eagerly awaiting our Lord: "Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus."

This confident, future hope of the glory of God is the eternal fruit of today's patient endurance in our present sufferings – and so let us rejoice in our suffering KNOWING the glory that will be revealed.

Loving Father, like Paul I want to rejoice in my sufferings, which are only for a moment, in the knowledge that the joy set before me is sure and founded on Your unchangeable promises. Praise Your wonderful name. In Jesus' name I pray, AMEN.