God is so good to his children, giving us a foretaste of glory that is to come.
Scripture declares: “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us” (Romans 8:23, NLT).
Life can be difficult at times, but God does not leave us to navigate our journey alone. He has given each Christ-follower the Holy Spirit. The gift of the Spirit living within assures us of God’s constant and unconditional love for us and our future glory with him. The Spirit gives us tiny tastes of glory now, giving needed comfort, strength, and joy, reminding us that we are God’s children.
The Spirit living within also serves as a reminder that the best for us is yet to come. You see, if this is as good as it gets, it would be rather depressing, but we know that this is not as good as it gets. When we receive our new bodies, as promised, we receive our full rights as God’s children. Think about what this means for us:
- We will be in the presence of the Lord for all eternity.
- We will no longer be where sin is present.
- We will never be tempted again.
- We will never be lonely, depressed, or sad.
- We will not have to remember to take our medicine.
- We will no longer experience sickness, disease, or suffering.
- We will receive our perfect healing from the Great Physician.
- We will be held in the loving arms of the Lord.
The best is to come, but we also experience blessings now as God's children. Let's rejoice in the moments of glory and splendor received, but let's also recognize that these are just a glimpse, a tiny taste, of our great and glorious future with Jesus.
“In him [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV).
Beloved, be encouraged — your full inheritance is guaranteed and drawing nearer. According to Scripture, the return of Christ for his faithful followers is the next big event on God’s agenda. It could happen today. Until it does, we will continue to share the gospel of the kingdom to the nations.
Know that you are loved,
gaj