Can You Hear The Groans Of Creation In Your Own Submission?
Good Morning Friends,
All Christian believers are to submit to one another…much like the church submitting to Christ. It is a marriage relationship that really should demonstrate the power of submission, for it takes much more character to submit to the will of God than most think. We are to build healthy relationships through mutual submission out of reverence for Christ. This kind of marriage done right points us to the oneness of Christ and the church….and the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It points to the oneness of our love for God, others and ourselves. Can You Hear The Groans Of Creation In Your Own Submission?
Scripture: Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.
Ephesians 5:21-33 (NRSV)
and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church.
Ephesians 5:2a, 25-32 (NRSV)
He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” And again he said, “To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
Luke 13:18-21 (NRSV)
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:18-25 (NRSV)
Message: One of the unique things about history is being able to look back and to see the moments and turning points in which, everything changed. It is fascinating to see how some of the smallest, and seemingly unimportant events, at a certain moment in time, have had a bigger significance than anyone would have ever imagined. Who would have thought that the unfortunate acts of Adam and Eve in the Garden would have such a ripple effect? It was only a piece of fruit. But thankfully Christ is giving birth to a solution and to a hope in our very lives that also has a ripple effect that cancels out the curse. Here the seed of our existence must change. The image of the thorns and the fruit must take on new meaning as we too on this. You see, tomorrow on All Hallows Eve we must face our fears. For there is an internal and external history that plays out in turning points. We see it in the events in the garden and creation itself. Everything was fine until we as humans were tempted to be like God. Here a turning point happened with consequences of pain to follow. Even today we struggle with the stresses that come with life, like worries about making ends meet, or even our own futures. And the effect expanded for as Adam and Eve fell, so did creation, whether it deserved to or not. Because of this sin, creation has come under God’s judgment too. It is no longer able to fulfill God’s purposes. Instead of producing fruit and flowers, it produces thorns and thistles. It longs for the completion of our redemption at the last day so that it too will be renewed, restored, and free. Paul says it is like the whole of creation is groaning together in the pains of childbirth. And not only the creation groans, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly too as we wait eagerly for the resolution. With creation, we long for that final day when Jesus will make all things new. We long for the completion of our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Fortunately, Paul is a man who knows his history, and he points to a second turning point in the history of the world…the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In this event in Jesus Christ, the Creator came to reclaim and restore His entire creation. On the cross, Jesus bore our sin and its curse. At the tomb, His victory is announced, and His resurrection signals that creation itself will also be made new. As people who live in this hope, we enjoy the blessings and effects of that turning point that happened at Jesus’ cross and tomb. We are saved and are at peace with God now, but unfortunately, we will still have to wait for the completion of that salvation at the last day. We will have to endure the difficulties of living in a sinful and fallen world. We will have to face our fears. However, we have something that creation doesn’t have, God’s Spirit, that helps us endure this waiting and these circumstances. The first beginnings of the work of grace in a sinner are generally exceedingly small. It is like the mixture of leaven with a lump of dough. A single sentence of a sermon, or a single verse of Holy Scripture…a small thing such as an act of kindness. Here in these nudges of our conscience the leaven of grace begins to work in our hearts to create in us something new. Here the power of God’s kingdom comes alive from within. Think of Blind Bartimeaus. Discover the inner strength of our fellowship with God and know that this is only the beginning of a marvelous journey.
Pray we submit to one another in Christian love. Pray we get clear about getting clean…. searching, obeying, applying and pursuing God in love. Pray the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words when the loving gets tough. Pray we realize that Jesus was the first born of a new creation and that we must wait for the Spirit who helps us to endure suffering in our own rebirth. Pray we realize that we were always intended to be used for a purpose by God. Pray with thanks that God in all wisdom has already foreseen what would transpire and laid plans for a wonderful solution through His Son Jesus Christ, not just for us but for all of creation. Pray we too submit to a process of planting and seeding. Pray we realize that small things can make a big impact. Pray we have faith even though we cannot see what is happening. Pray we realize that God’s creation is waiting to birth in us the hope of something new if we are willing to suffer through the solution God has purposed for us from the beginning. Pray we believe and not lose hope. Pray we realize that one own sanctification is a lifelong process.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 