Pray:
Ask God to orient or reorient you to Himself. Confess any known sin. Thank Him for His forgiveness. Be still and reflect on Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your heart and mind to God’s Word. Pray for others in your life that they, too, would know and love God today.
Read:
Romans 8:14-17,
“14 Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”
Understand:
This paragraph is one that should give us great reason to rejoice in the Lord. In the previous passage, Paul just spoke about life in the Spirit. This new way of life–a way of life that opens by the indwelling Spirit, a way of life that comes with power, a way of life that brings life instead of death–has been opened up to the believer. It sounds too good to believe, but it’s true! Paul wanted believers to know that we can have great confidence in what he has spoken because we are now children of God.
It’s helpful as we move into the passage this week to remember what Paul has said so far in chapter eight. He told us that because of the Spirit’s work, we have life (8: 1–11). The Spirit of life set us free from the law of sin and death. Because of this, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Since we are free from death, we are no longer controlled by the sinful nature—instead, we have an obligation to turn toward the Spirit who lives in us to control the flesh so we can live (8: 12– 13).
Okay Jim…I get it, but how can I be sure? How can I know that I will be able to put away the deeds of my sinful nature and live? Well, that’s where the above paragraph comes in; we know we will live because the Spirit resides within us (8: 14). Yes, it’s true—not only does the Spirit live in you, but He also made you a child of God—His Child.
Apply:
We’ll stop here today. Take some time and ponder being a child of God. To ponder something means “to think about it carefully, to contemplate, to consider or mull over before making a decision.” Don’t just think about what it looks like right now and not give it another thought as you go about your day. Instead, take some time today as you drive around in your car, go to lunch, cut the grass or whatever it is you’ll be doing today to think about what it means for you personally to be a child of God. We’ll look at this more as we go through the passage this week.
*From what you have just read and considered, what is a personal implication/application for your life today?
Live:
(Personalize this prayer today; make it specific to the circumstances that face you.)
Ask God to lead you through His Spirit as you go through your day. Ask Him to bring to mind the truth of the Gospel and its implications for what you will encounter today. Tell Him “Yes” to His will and ask Him for His power and protection to live out this “yes.” Ask God to create and reveal opportunities to proclaim the Good News today. KEEP PRAYING THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY.
Inspiration and insight for the devotionals came from the following books: Reading Romans with John Stott; The Message of Romans: God’s Good News for the World (The Bible Speaks Today Series), Stott, John; Romans (The NIV Application Commentary Book 6) Moo, Douglas J.; Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Survey (Encountering Biblical Studies) Moo, Douglas J.; Believers Bible Commentary; The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, with the New International Version, Romans through Galatians; NIV Application Study Bible. The Cambridge Bible Commentary, Romans, Best, Ernest.