Heirs of the glory of God

Romans 8:17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. Yesterday we rejoiced in the blessing of God to give us two witnesses that we are His children. Today we see the great privilege it is to be loved by our Father. If we are His children, then we are heirs of God. Paul called believers, fellow heirs with Christ. Jesus is the Son of God, and w e are his brothers and sisters, who are loved with the same love. The apostle John records Jesus’ praying this: John 17:10 “And all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them." John 17:22-23 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” So we are fellow heirs with Christ of all that belongs to God. Not only do we rejoice today in the blessing and privilege to be God’s children, but we also can be encouraged by the fact that we suffer with Him as we lay down our lives (put to death the deeds of the body) to love others with Jesus. If Spirit of Christ is the source and power of this love (and He is in all those who are God’s children), then Jesus is to receive the glory. But that’s not all. Paul encouraged them that they/we will also be glorified with Him because we suffered and loved with Him. The connection between suffering and glory is revealed clearly in Hebrews 2:9. “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” God gave His Son grace to love us by laying down His life. In so doing, He crowned Jesus with glory. Paul made the same point. If we love others by laying down our lives with Jesus, by the grace received from God, we also are crowned with the glory of God. We will inherit the glory of God with Jesus, His Son, because we suffer with Him in this world. As we live to love with Jesus, we will suffer, but we suffer with hope—the hope of glory. The glory of God is our inheritance as heirs of God, fellow heirs with Jesus, if we live to love with Him. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com