Well as I said yesterday - this is a difficult passage to work with. It isn't that Paul is saying something we cannot understand, it's that he is saying something that we have to accept by faith. There is a conflict that is within everything. Some call it good vs. evil, bad vs. good, black hats vs. white hats, Luke Skywalker vs. Darth Vader (sorry about the last one.)
To us Christians it is really so much more than that - and that's what Paul is bringing to light here. In verse 22 we are groaning. In verses 18 - 27 we actually find three things groaning and all for the same reason. Creation - Ourselves and the Holy Spirit. They are all groaning because of the same things. #1) Sin and its effects on our life and our world. When you watch CNN (as someone I heard recently call it Constantly Negative News) do you groan inside? Do you wonder if this world is ever going to get any better? For all the work people have done for centuries this is the best we could come up with? There there is #2) The glory yet to come. There is a day coming when we will meet Jesus and all our suffering will come to an end. The truth be known, we want it right now! Hey! Today may be the day - who knows? So groaning, or having deep anguish about these things isn't a sin. However, let me point out two things.
First, if all you can do is dwell on sin and the wickedness of this world. Your in need of a vacation. I know some Christians all they can do is rant and rave about every little thing that is wrong with life and this world. They cannot enjoy a day that God has given to them because they cannot see it for what it is. A gift from Him. Instead, they dwell on the evil that people commit and thus allow their joy to be sapped from their lives. Secondly, there are those who only want to go to heaven. There is nothing wrong with wanting to go to heaven. I'm all for it. But if you quit living here and quit serving Jesus just so you can beg Him to kill you now or come back quicker, your missing the point! The Word instructs us to make the most of everyday for Him. To be good stewards of our time. The only retirement plan that He has in store for us in is heaven and you will get it soon enough.
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