S(Romans 8:17) 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.
O
Being a joint heir with Christ is incomprehensible--what benefit might God gain by claiming us as His inheritance. What glory could He get from that (Deuteronomy 4:20; 1 Peter 2:9,10; Psalms 16:5; 28:9; 33:12, etc.)? Being glorified with Christ promises something delightful, satisfying, and good beyond our capacity to comprehend (8:18). And our hope for that experience is contingent on being an heir of God. Our hope for being an heir of God is contingent on being a fellow heir with Christ, which includes sharing His sufferings with Him. Thankfully, glory is the culmination of the humble beginning of suffering with Christ, and that glory is good enough to compensate for life's sufferings. Incomprehensible.
Again, our access to all this glory, to all these resources, pivots on our decision of whether to be led by God's Spirit instead of being controlled by our flesh (i.e., our selfish ambitions). It's a wholly unnatural decision (verses 1-16). Why? Being Spirit-led leads inevitably through seasons of suffering. Why suffering? Because of the Spirit's integrity and goodness. We live in a broken, backwards-thinking world. If we're going to be "in Christ" by becoming increasingly Christ-minded and Christ-hearted, then we'll also experience in increasing measure His profound losses, griefs, deprivation, abandonment, scorn, and sacrifice as He loves sinners. We get to share the experience of love being violated. It comes through our shared "contradictions of sinners" (Hebrews 12:13) as well as seasons of our own personal temptations (Luke 4:13).
A (Personal)
I learned that becoming an uncompromising agent of [Christ's] love is a life of suffering, and I'm trusting that God will figure out how to get glory from it. Just as Christ was led by the Spirit, I too get to give of myself to "ungrateful" people, to sacrifice my own comforts and conveniences for the sake of creating relationship with others who are suffocating from their own darkness. But my suffering isn't usually that grandiose or self-gratifying. Sometimes I'm just a selfish butt, and I need to admit it, then take humble and brave steps reconcile with the people I've offended ... and to do that in a way that isn't obfuscated by my defensive counter-accusations (e.g., "I did that because you ..."). Paul described that willingness to be corrected by Love; he called it self-crucifixion (Galatians 5:24; Colossians 3:5). It hurts. It's not as glamorous as persecution, but it's more fruitful.
A (Psychological)
If it's not been coined yet, I'd like to explore this chapter as the central revelation of "Trinitarian Psychology," a distinct psychological, therapeutic model. The relationships that the members of the Godhead share have long been a model for family and marital relationships. Although, God is holy, incorruptible, and perfect, His relationship with sinful people serves us as a good model for us. Balswick and Balswick (The Family, 2007; pp. 20-34) built on the concept of God's covenantal nature and proposed four sequential but nonlinear stages: (1) Covenant (to love and be loved), (2) Grace (to forgive and be forgiven), (3) Empowering (to serve and be served), and (4) Intimacy (to know and be known). In accordance with these schema, they suggest that familial relationships will be either "dynamic and maturing or stagnant and dying." In any family system, someone needs to initiate reconciliation. God provides this by initiating His unilateral, unconditional, eternally valid covenant of love for us. However, that isn't enough. God is our inheritance, as we are His. To experience that relational reality, we must respond positively to His love. In other words, if we are led by His Spirit, well share His life (with a season of suffering, but for an eternity of glory).
P
Redeemer, You've given me a new life that is safely hidden in You. Thank You. Help me remember that the pain of being honest with You--the pain of being healed--is infinitely better and more comforting than the pain of hiding from You and being left to my own devises. There is no better peace, no greater comfort than setting my mind on the things of heaven so that Your will may be done here on earth--in my heart--as is done naturally in heaven.
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