Meet Bobette Kelly

“Are we there yet?”

All vacationing road warriors have either asked or been asked this question. When we travel to a special place, it’s only natural to eagerly anticipate the enjoyment we’ll experience. The longer the trip, the more eager we become to leave the car or plane and step into the wonder and freedom that awaits us at our destination. These three verses in Romans remind us that God’s entire creation is ready to reach the final destination. It’s only logical that believers in Christ should look forward to His return when the glory of God’s kingdom will be revealed to us. But in these verses, we learn that “the [entire] creation” (man, animals, and earth) is waiting eagerly for that day when God brings forth our final destination: a new heaven and a new earth.

The other takeaway from these verses seems to be how greatly sin frustrates every part of God’s creation. Man’s original sin in the garden not only brought dire consequences to mankind, but it affected all of God’s creation and brought it into the "bondage of decay" through no wrong doing of its own. Nothing remained perfect as God intended it to be. That's the way sin works. Often, the innocent suffer the consequences of other people's sins. However, we should be mindful that it isn’t only sins of commission—those bad things people do that hurt ourselves or others—that have consequences. Sins of omission—the good things we know we should do but fail to initiate—also have consequences (James 4:17).

As Christians, we often view ourselves as so much better than those “sinners” who blatantly break the rules, but Jesus calls us to a higher standard than compliance. It’s easy to look around and become frustrated by all the great need in the world around us. But rather than feeling overwhelmed, why not do for one what you wish you could do for many? If you need to be convinced, just click here for an encouraging word from Todd Wagner, and then say “Yes!” to the next thing God asks you to do.