Daily Encouragement for the Family of God by Kenton Cheek
8 December 2024
Reading From Romans 8-10
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
–Romans 8:14-21
Paul’s letter to the church at Rome is rich with deep teaching. It is difficult to select only small portions to reflect upon and respond to. Every word is so good. We are taught that those who are in Christ have been set free from sin and are slaves to it no longer.[1] We are to use our freedom to choose righteousness and compassion.[2] This is living in the Spirit rather than living to gratify the desires of our sinful nature. If we truly love God, we will show our love for Him by our obedience to His Word the Bible.[3] Those who live in repentance, love and obedience prove their faith is genuine and that the Spirit of God truly does live within them.[4] This does not mean that any real Christian is perfect.[5] It means that when they do make mistakes, they know who to turn to for forgiveness and the strength and wisdom needed to move forward.[6]
Everyone who has made the decision to believe and receive Jesus is born again and we belong to the eternal family of God.[7] The Holy Spirit takes up residence within us and brings victory to us over sin and death by His life-giving power. We are sealed by the Spirit unto the Day of Redemption.[8] Each of us is a temple of God and as we become more like Jesus through spiritual growth, our unity increases and we are being built together as one mighty Temple.[9] The eternal family of God is the Temple of God and we are united by the same Holy Spirit who indwells us all.[10] Our family knows no boundaries. It is not limited by time, space, political borders, language barriers, ethnic divisions, gender differences, or any other obstacle.[11] We will all be together as one eternal family in God’s celestial Kingdom.
Those who have gone before us who were truly born again may have died physically, but their spirits are now in perfect harmony with the Father and with His eternal family. They have transitioned out of our present reality, stepping out of time and space[12] and into the spiritual realm. To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.[13] They now enjoy uninhibited, loving relationship with one another and with Heavenly Father. While they are no longer with us physically, they are with us spiritually. This is beautifully pictured in Hebrews 12:1-2, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Our loved ones who followed Jesus still surround us with their love and spiritual encouragement as we make our way through this life.
In eternity, will we recognize people we knew on Earth and will we be with our born again loved ones who have preceded us in death? I believe we will. Anytime we encounter in Scripture those who have transitioned into the spiritual realm, they are not unrecognizable spirits; we know them for who they are. Samuel, the rich man and Lazarus, Moses, Elijah and Jesus Christ all made appearances after death and were recognizable. I Corinthians 13:12 reveals, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” We will know everyone in the eternal family of God.
The Bible says in Psalm 68:6 that, “He sets the lonely in families.” And when Jesus was preparing the first disciples for the rough road that laid ahead of them and for us, He encouraged and comforted us. In John 14:1-4, our Savior said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
It is important to remember that the love we feel for our earthly families and friends is just a foretaste of the magnitude of love that we will experience for all of our brothers and sisters in Heaven.[14] While in our present reality, we cannot imagine loving anyone more than our immediate family members, but everything in Heaven is beyond anything we can ask for or imagine.[15] Jesus said that His true family, more than His biological, earthly one (Joseph, Mary and His half siblings), is made up of those who do the will of His Father and that at the resurrection we will neither be married nor given in marriage. We are part of the Bride of Christ and will enjoy perfect unity and harmony with God and with one another.[16] Our relationship will be deeper than any human marriage or relationship.
The destination of our shared journey of faith is the paradise of the New Heaven and the New Earth. It will be a New Eden on a magnificent scale. What is our reward that awaits us there? We are told of extraordinary scenes filled with golden streets, pearly gates, a sea as clear as crystal, the magnificent throne of Almighty God encircled with rainbows, the Tree of Life with leaves of healing for the nations, the River of Life gently flowing, and on and on. But the greatest reward we have to look forward to is the Presence of Him who loves us so infinitely.
The second half of Hebrews 12:2 tells us, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The joy set before Him was you and I. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and so it is not as though His atonement and resurrection made Him better than before. He is unchangeable and perfect in every way and always has been. You and I are His reward and He is ours. We have an eternity of miraculous and extraordinary adventures to be had with one another and with God in the New Eden to look forward to! We will receive our resurrected, glorified bodies; the Earth will be renewed to its paradisical glory, and the Heavens will resound with praise forevermore.
“Lord Jesus, we so often find ourselves in circumstances that, if we focus on our problems, bring sadness, depression, and discouragement. I pray that we would fix our eyes upon You and set our minds on the glorious hope we have in You! We want to be with You and with our eternal family forever in the New Heaven and the New Earth. Let us be patient with one another as we learn more about You. Reveal to us precious truths concerning our identity in You, the community we have found in Your family and our glorious destiny in You. Help us to share Your love and message of reconciliation with as many people as possible so that we can all be with You in our forever home.”
After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:
“Amen!
Praise and glory
and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength
be to our God for ever and ever.
Amen!”
–Revelation 7:9-12
Dedicated to the Memory of Nathan Eugene Pruitt
[1] Romans 8:2
[2] Galatians 5:13
[3] John 14:15
[4] Matthew 3:7-8, Acts 2:38, 3:19, Romans 10:9
[5] Romans 3:23
[6] Philippians 3:13-14
[7] John 1:2, Ephesians 2:19-22, Galatians 6:10
[8] Ephesians 1:13, 4:30, II Corinthians 1:22
[9] I Peter 2:5
[10] Ephesians 4:6
[11] Revelation 7:9, Galatians 3:28
[12] II Peter 3:8
[13] II Corinthians 5:8
[14] Matthew 12:48-50, Matthew 22:30, Romans 8:39
[15] Ephesians 3:20
[16] Revelation 19:6-9
Forever Home in the Eternal Family of God 
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