Romans 8:17 English Standard Version (ESV) and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Romans 8:30 English Standard Version (ESV) And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Both of these verses are true. Most of us would prefer that we not suffer. We prefer it to the point of not thinking about what it means to be glorified. We might even go as far as thinking that we don’t need it. Who needs the suffering?

Are we called? Many answer yes. Are we justified, everyone will say yes. Then if we are called and justified we are glorified. There is no conditional attachment to glorification, it is done at the will of God and not because we choose to be glorified.

Suffering is not a choice either. If is they conditional factor here. If children is tied back to verse ^16 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”

If we are born again in the Spirit we have no choice but to feel what Jesus feels. The Spirit testifies of Jesus Christ and somehow with want to believe it is only His words we hear and understand. The term is “with Christ”. He is part of us now abiding in our hearts, changing our hearts, loving what He loves and feeling the pain He feels when He is rejected.

How can we expect to feel His joy at the saving of a soul and no accept the sorrow in the loss of one also? We cannot have it both ways. Both are true.

Perhaps if we understood glorification as being “with Christ” it would be easier to suffer rightly.

Psalm 116:1-2 English Standard Version

I Love the Lord

¹ I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy.
² Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

Loving the Lord just because He hears you sells short the reality in relationship with our Lord.

He does more than just listens, He does more than just answer. Snippets of scriptures that sound good do not tell the whole story no more than saying “I love you” proves you love another. It is in the actions associated with the relationship that proves love, on both sides.

Verse 8 says “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling;”

That is only three aspects of this love relationship and there is so much more. It would take a whole book to even glimpse at a small portion of His immense love for us.

John 21:25 English Standard Version (ESV)Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

Note carefully the end of that first sentence, “things that Jesus did.” His words were life and yet He did not stop there. Words weren’t enough, He did things not even spoken of in the bible.

Because His love, mercy and grace are perfect in performance, we can accept that He goes above and beyond His Word. To say they are just words sells Him short. He is more than just words.

Each of us has a testimony of what the Lord has done in our lives. If it were left to only words we would have a testimony of our own strength and God would not be glorified in the telling.

He is more than an ear to hear or a mouth to speak, His love enacts the will of the Father and keeps His promises.