Romans 8:14-17 (TPT) Sons and Daughters Destined for Glory
14 The mature children of God are those [only the mature] who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit. 15 And you did not receive the “spirit of religious duty,”[slavery to performance] leading you back into the fear of never being good enough. But you have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,”[consecrated children] enfolding you into the family of God. And you will never feel orphaned, for as he rises up within us, our spirits join him in saying the words of tender affection, “Beloved Father!”[revealing endearing devotion] 16 For the Holy Spirit makes God’s fatherhood real to us as he whispers into our innermost being, “You are God’s beloved child!”
17 And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has.[grace has made us royal heirs to the King] We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings[accept his feelings] as our own.
To be mature as children of God is to allow the fullness of Christ to overwhelm us; to embrace the Spirit of God’s love and be moved by those impulses. That means we accept his feelings knowing there are things [attitudes/behaviors] in fallen creation that grieve his heart; we will feel those burdens and experience the sorrow he feels as well as the joys. Scripture calls us to accept Christ’s sufferings as our own; therefore, the mature must also accept his standard of righteousness. We do not have to guess about God’s perspective, because we already have the Word and Spirit of God bearing witness to that standard. However, as we accept and share in his sufferings, we also share in his glory—the external manifestation of his being in us. What a wonderful destiny!
Prayer: Lord, thank you for imparting to me the Spirit of full acceptance. I do not have to work my way to you; I simply open the door for your Lordship over my life. As I mature, I take on more of your nature and live listening as you whisper into my innermost being. Thank you for making me your daughter. In Jesus’ name. Amen.