Reading: Romans 7,8
My Verse: "For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall live forever." (8:13)
Paul continues to teach here about that area of our Christian lives that creates such tension between God at work in us and our decision to let Him. I cannot "habitually put to death the evil deeds prompted by the body" by myself. And yet through Paul's teaching here I see that I do have a part in this. I need to accept the Truth of Your Word, Lord. I need to seek You daily. I need to practice so to speak living as You would have me.
Paul goes on to say, "But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit [really] dwells within you. But if anyone does not possess the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." (8:28)
The phrase "if the [Holy] Spirit [really] dwells within you" makes me pause. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"
No, I am not exempt from the hardships - the consequesnces of sin here on earth. Christians along with the rest of creation "groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies" (8:23). I will, as long as I am here on this earth in this physical body struggle with sin, struggle to keep You ever at the center of my life. I have read this passage over numerous times and struggled with how to respond to it. I am finally realizing that this stuggle - this tension is actually a good thing. It keep me alert. It makes me responsible. It helps me to grow ever stronger as Your disciple.
Thank You, Lord, for the struggle, the tension. Thank, You, too, that I can be confident of victory because You do promise me that. "Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us." (8:37)
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall live forever." (8:13)
Paul continues to teach here about that area of our Christian lives that creates such tension between God at work in us and our decision to let Him. I cannot "habitually put to death the evil deeds prompted by the body" by myself. And yet through Paul's teaching here I see that I do have a part in this. I need to accept the Truth of Your Word, Lord. I need to seek You daily. I need to practice so to speak living as You would have me.
Paul goes on to say, "But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit [really] dwells within you. But if anyone does not possess the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His." (8:28)
The phrase "if the [Holy] Spirit [really] dwells within you" makes me pause. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"
No, I am not exempt from the hardships - the consequesnces of sin here on earth. Christians along with the rest of creation "groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies" (8:23). I will, as long as I am here on this earth in this physical body struggle with sin, struggle to keep You ever at the center of my life. I have read this passage over numerous times and struggled with how to respond to it. I am finally realizing that this stuggle - this tension is actually a good thing. It keep me alert. It makes me responsible. It helps me to grow ever stronger as Your disciple.
Thank You, Lord, for the struggle, the tension. Thank, You, too, that I can be confident of victory because You do promise me that. "Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us." (8:37)
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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