Waiting Patiently.

ROMANS 8:23-25: 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. 24 We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

I love these verses. I like the way Hope is talked about. Remember when you were a kid, maybe still, but Christmas was coming up fast(But not fast enough for you). You couldn't wait, you dreamed about what wonderful toys you were getting, the anticipation was almost overwhelming, almost more then you could take. You would spend hours looking at the wrapped boxes under the tree wondering what they held. You Hoped one of them held that special toy you wanted so bad, the one you had made sure everyone knew that this was "THE GIFT" for you. Most of the fun of Christmas presents is the anticipation. What would happen if you got something you already had? Your hope would be crushed, you would be sad, even mad. "I hoped for this for weeks and look what it is".


My folks used to let us open one present a few days before Christmas, kinda as a teaser, but mainly so we would settle down a little. This was a Calvin Christmas tradition for a few years. My wife and I even did this for our kids when they were little. Just a taste of what was to come. In Romans 8:23 above, Paul tells us that: "...even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory.............." So then if we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we have been given a "taste of what is to come in Heaven". God in His wisdom, is showing us what Heaven will be like, with just a glimpse we can have when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.

I remember as a young teenager in West Texas. Our youth group had an annual trip to Six Flags in Dallas. When school was out, I started looking forward to this trip. We usually went around the end of June. I would have about a month to think about the roller coasters, the food, the bus trip there and back, and, of course, the girls that were going with us, (as I got older the girls were the thing I thought about the most.) I looked forward to something "I didn't have yet, so, I must wait patiently and confidently". If you know something is going to happen, then you are waiting patiently and confidently. Confidently: You have no doubt it will happen, you paid your money for the trip, your parents have signed the permission slip, you have the schedule to when the bus was leaving and when it would be back, all that was left was the waiting patiently part. BUT this did not stop us from "Groaning", a requirement for teenagers, when you turn 13 you have to take a class on groaning, rolling your eyes at your parents, and acting like you don't care about anything, you MUST pass this class, or you cannot turn 13. So as qualified teenagers, having passed the required class,we would complain daily how slow time was moving to that trip. I KNEW I was going, I had no doubt, I knew that the new girl whose family had just started coming to our church was coming also, and I could not wait to get to know her better, ride roller coasters with her, walk around the park with her, you know do what teenagers like to do, within reason of course, we had chaperones.



If you already have something, how then can you "long" for it? " We LONG for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering." Right now, our bodies are subject to this worlds rules. Rules of pain, suffering, illness, death, sadness, confusion, you name it we go through it. BUT, we LONG for Heaven because our bodies will be new, no suffering, no pain, no emotions other then joy and peace and love. WE will NOT get sick, we will NOT get hurt, we will NOT die. This is something to "LONG", "HOPE", and be "Eager" for. If we already enjoyed these things here on earth, what good would Heaven be? Why would we get that excited about going to Heaven? If you already have something there is no reason to "HOPE" for it.

I admit it, I am a very selfish person. When I see a commercial for the "Newest", "Latest", "best" of something, I long for it. I wish I could go right out and get it that evening. Why? Because I don't have it, I have the "OLDER" version, not this newest one. I don't have Windows 25 that just came out, latest version, I have Windows 24.8, it is 2 months old, how can I exist without the new one? I can't, I must get this latest one, now. This is greed, pure and simple. But it is what I deal with, fairly often. It is part of being human, and part of being a Man. We Men tend to want things more the Women, most of the time. Wow, have you seen the new Audi sports car? Love it, it so sleek and cool.

I long for the day when: "God shall give us our full rights as His adopted children..........." Those rights will make that Audi sports car look like nothing, like dirt, it will pale in comparison to what will be before us. Jesus will stand before us in all His glory, all His knowledge, all His wisdom, we will NOT be able to take our eyes off Him. 'The things of this world will go strangely dim", as he songwriter says.


So, when did this hope start? Before we came to know Jesus Christ, we did not have this hope, we did not know of God's love for us, we did not know that He was preparing a place for US. We more then likely thought Heaven was a place everyone goes to, unless they robbed a bank or killed someone. We did not have a "Longing" to be with Jesus, to share in His glory. So when did this hope begin, when we allowed Jesus to come into our hearts. Then we felt such love, such joy, such forgiveness............that we realized we did not want this to stop, if fact we wanted more. Yes, we can have more in this life, BUT NOTHING compares to the MORE we will feel, see, experience, when we live with HIM in Heaven.

So don't get to attached to this world of sin, suffering, pain, evil, corruption............because He is coming to take us HOME> I LONG for,have HOPE for, have an Assurance that it WILL happen and happen soon.