Rom 8:16-17
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Sometimes I think we get the wrong impression about this statement, "we are children of God." Do we think that because we are children of God that we will not suffer the trials of our flesh? Do sometimes think that because we are the children of God that we wont be effected by our surroundings? Do we think that we are untouchable by the evil of our day simply because we are the children of God?
If my father were a police officer I would still have to obey the law or I could be arrested for breaking it. If my father were a doctor I would still suffer colds and sickness. My point in this is that whatever profession my father were in I wouldn't be exempt from what this life brings!
Sin has destroyed the perfect world and the life that God had created for us and because of sin we suffer, we struggle and life at times can be very difficult.
I am not saying that there is no pleasure in or benefits from serving the Lord. On the contrary, without Him this suffering would be in vain. Yet we are not exempt! I often share my opinion when it comes to battling in this life. To battle this life without Jesus and without His church would be unbearable to me. I have a friend, a counselor and a Comforter in Jesus and though I am not isolated from the pain, I am insulated from its full devastating effects.
Being an heir simply means I have something coming. Its not in my possession but in the end I will obtain it. Had a parent willed something to their child, that child doesn't receive it until the passing of that parent. When I became a child of God I received certain things in my life for this life, other things are promised to be given and I patiently wait for them.
We have become joint-heirs with Christ id so be that we suffer with Hi, that we may be also glorified together.
There is no promise of easy living. The bible teaches that the road to heaven is straight and narrow not smooth and easy. A mathematical question once asked, What weighs more? A ton of feathers or a ton of bricks? It is amazing how many people will respond with the wrong answer. Of course the weight is the same but the perception is not. The weight of the world to those without Jesus would feel more like the bricks. The weight of the world to those with Jesus would feel more like the feathers. Same weight but different effect. Jesus bears our burden but we still have to carry them to Him.
