July 23
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HEIRS OF GOD’S GLORY
A poem by ILMA
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no duty to follow your cravings
If you constantly think of your selfish desires and live by its dictates, you will die
But if through the Spirit’s power, you die to your sinful nature, you will live
All those who are led by the Spirit of God are true children of God.
You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves
Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children
Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that We are God’s children and since we are his children, we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal later
For all creation is waiting eagerly for a revelation that we are his real children.
Creation looks forward to the day when we will be free from death and decay
For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth
We long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering
We wait and hope for the new bodies he has promised us in heaven.
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MEMORY VERSE
And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
– Romans 8:17
Read: Romans 8:12-24
When we are given an inheritance, we feel so much loved. The legacy symbolizes the love of that person to us. They cared enough to think about what will happen to us when they pass on. They show how much we are thought of and loved.
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REFLECTION
• Do you take suffering as a part of sharing your inheritance in Christ?