Romans 8
Life in the Spirit
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. God sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) 10 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. 11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Mike's Thoughts:
Do you find yourself thinking about spiritual things? Or do you find yourself thinking more about the "flesh", things your body desires that aren't good for the spirit? God didn't just come to give us a home in heaven, he came to help us defeat sin. Because of sin (Adam), our bodies will die. Because of Jesus, our spirits will live. The problem with most of us, is that we act like we have this flesh side of us that always wins. We feel defeated. Jesus died so you don't have to feel that way. The question for you is, do you live by the spirit or by the flesh? We didn't earn the spirit. It was given to us by Jesus. But do we use it? Do we think about it? Do we live for it? Do we try to listen to it? Remember the spirit is in us and is a part of us like any other bodily organ. The same way we listen to our heart when we are scared, we can listen to the spirit when we are tempted by the flesh. Rather than focus on our weakness and the things we struggle with, what about focusing on the power Jesus put in us when we became Christians and were baptized and gave our lives totally over to him?
Prayer:
God, thanks for the Spirit that gives us life. Thanks that I don't have to focus on my weakness and fleshly desires. Thanks that I can live for you and not me. Help me to hear your spirit and listen to your desires for me. Help me to see the difference between what is flesh and what is spirit. --amen
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