Creation's Longing for Redemption

Jim Connell • June 3, 2025

New Title

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration... 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 8:19–21(NIV) 


Have you ever noticed how the natural world reflects both breathtaking beauty and deep brokenness? A sunrise over a mountain range can fill us with awe, yet natural disasters remind us of the chaos and pain in creation. This tension speaks to a truth that Paul illuminates in Romans 8: creation itself is longing for renewal, waiting for the day when God’s children are glorified and all things will be made new. 


Paul describes creation as being "subjected to frustration," bound to decay because of human sin that disrupted God’s perfect design. But this frustration is not the end of the story. Just as believers anticipate the fullness of their redemption, creation as well groans in expectation of its own restoration. It eagerly looks ahead to a future where it too will be set free from its bondage. 


This truth reminds us of two things. First, the brokenness we see around us—whether in nature or in our own lives—is not permanent. The suffering and decay we witness are temporary because God has a plan to redeem not just humankind but all of creation. Second, our lives are intricately connected to God’s cosmic purposes. When God brings His children into their full glory, it will signal the renewal of everything He has made. 


This hopeful vision encourages us to see the world through God’s eyes. While we grieve the brokenness around us, we have the privilege of stewarding creation in ways that reflect God’s care and His redemptive purposes. Whether it’s tending a garden, cleaning a polluted space, or simply marveling at the beauty of creation, we can honor God by anticipating the renewal He has promised. 


Today, as you go about your daily routine, take a moment to notice the natural world. Let its beauty and brokenness remind you that God is working to make all things new. He is not only redeeming you but His entire creation. 


Father, thank You for the beauty of creation and the promise of its renewal. Help me see Your hand at work in both the beauty and brokenness around me. Give me hope for the day when all will be restored, and teach me to be a good steward of Your creation in the meantime. In Jesus name, Amen. 


 


Tomorrow, we’ll look at the Spirit’s role in helping us through times of weakness.  


By Jim Connell 

God Works All Things for Good

By Jim Connell • June 5, 2025
New Title

The Spirit Helps Us in Our Weakness

By Jim Connell • June 4, 2025
New Title

The Glory That Awaits

By Jim Connell • June 2, 2025
New Title

Change

By Raegan Peterson • May 31, 2025
New Title

Heirs with Christ

By Jesse Smith • May 30, 2025
New Title

Adopted

By Jesse Smith • May 29, 2025
New Title

Spirit of Adoption

By Jesse Smith • May 28, 2025
New Title

Led by the Spirit

By Jessie Smith • May 26, 2025
Led by the Spirit For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. (Romans 8:14) Paul’s assertion here is simple: those who are led by the Spirit are God’s children. Being led by the Spirit is evidence of genuine faith, evidence of the redemptive work of Christ. The opposite is also true. Those who are not being led by the Spirit are not the children of God. Being led by the Spirit is not an option that the believer can choose or decline; it is essential to the child of God. So, what does it mean to be “led by the Spirit?” We tend to think of this in a very task-oriented or transactional way. We have a decision to make that we do not feel we can make on our own, so we turn to God for guidance. We are trying to decide what house to buy, whether we should relocate for a job, or make some other decision where we realize that our choice will have long-lasting consequences. We want to know God’s will in making these big decisions. We want Him, through His Spirit, to lead us (or, honestly, just to give

Freed to Serve

By Jesse Smith • May 26, 2025
So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13) This Apostle Paul draws a conclusion here based on the preceding passage, which begins with the declaration that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ and that we have been freed from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). That is quite a declaration of freedom. Now we have this conclusion that we are debtors. If we are free, what are we debtors to? At some time or other, most of us have gone into debt for a home, a vehicle, a business, etc. We have taken on this debt because of our choices, both good and bad choices. We are familiar with the impact debt can have on our lives and prospects for the future. The same is true spiritually; the choices we make have consequences. The freedom we have in Christ is not liberty to do whatever we want. Rather, in Christ we are free to serve something other than the lusts of our old, sinful nature. So, to what then are we debtors? But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code (Romans 7:6). We are debtors to Grace, to live a life of holiness, a life that is being conformed to His image and purpose. Paul would later amplify this point in Romans 12:1 when he wrote I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Paul is not offering an option here of the best way to follow Christ. This is a command for every believer to, by the power of the Spirit, crucify the deeds and lusts of the flesh and follow Him with our whole being. The hymn writer Robert Robinson captured this idea perfectly when he penned these words in “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Oh, to grace how great a debtor Daily I’m constrained to be! Let that grace now, like a fetter, Bind my yielded heart to Thee. In Christ you are free. How are you walking in that freedom? By Jesse Smith

Countercultural

By George Donkor • May 24, 2025
“You are not of the world…” (see John 17:14-17) “It’s when we go deeper that we go higher. What the vision is, his Kingdom instead of my empire, his will over my desires, his lordship over what I believe the industry requires. It’s an upside-down Kingdom, and we go higher when we go deeper – deeper than the world’s metric for success, where the culture would rather keep people impressed with the superficial, obsessed with what is temporal, stressed over gaining material wealth, and settling for less than what is eternal. We are called to go deeper.” These words were delivered by Spoken Word artist Jarrel Flowers at a recent Christian business leadership conference. His message was a convicting and hope-filled call to action, reminding marketplace leaders that their work is not secular or second-class, but sacred. Romans 12:2 (MSG) echoes this truth: Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. It shouldn’t be a surprise that world systems are rapidly shifting, and the pressure to ‘go-with-the-flow’ is rising. Yet, as followers of Christ, we are not called to conform but to stand apart, just as Jesus did. The apostle John exhorted early believers overwhelmed by worldly challenges with these words, Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – comes not from the Father but from the world (1 John 2:15-16 NIV). Daniel 3 tells us that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship the golden image King Nebuchadnezzar set up, declaring: “But even if he [God] does not [deliver us] , we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up” (Daniel 3:18). Can we be bold enough to speak these words to the gods of our culture that so easily entangle us? Friends, we have been redeemed to live differently, set apart for Kingdom impact and God’s glory. As 1 Peter 2:9 (NIV) reminds us, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Let us not forget this truth about Christ followers as we navigate the pressures of our culture: we are not just ordinary men walking the face of this earth, but we are ones donning priestly garments and called to be countercultural for Christ! By George Donkor George and his wife, Christiana, are proud parents of Annajoy and Elijah. They love serving Jesus together and showing Him to the world around them.
More Posts