14 day plan

The Kids are All Right

Day 3 of 14

CSB

Romans 8:14-17

14For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17and if children, also heirs — heirs of God and coheirs with Christ — if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Reflection:  A bit like every other sentence or passage in Romans, there is lots of cool stuff exploding out of these verses. Freeing us from slavery to sin, and the fear of judgment such imprisonment brings, the Holy Spirit brings about our inclusion into the family of God. The children of God have God’s own Spirit, described evocatively a few verses earlier as “the Spirit of Christ” (v 9). That is enough to send your mind shooting off in all kinds of directions, trying to handle having such a Spirit within your very person. But stop to notice the intimate relationship that the Spirit brings us into. As the Spirit testifies, we are God’s children. Having been on the outer, we are now adopted into the close-knit family unit where Jesus shares divine love with his Heavenly Father. We, too, can relate to the same Almighty God as the ultimate, approachable dad. And we can use the same family name for God that Jesus expressed in Aramaic in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Abba, Father” (see Mark 14:36).

Question:  Spend a few minutes – or more – wrapping your head around being able to call God “Abba, Father.” Now, what joy will that bring you today?

Prayer:  Abba, Father, I am awed at having such an intimate bond with you, Creator of all. Thank you for adopting me into your family. Help me to remember how wonderful this relationship is. Amen.

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

Days

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14

Romans 8:1-39

The Life-Giving Spirit

1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law could not do since it was weakened by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sin offering, 4in order that the law’s requirement would be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their minds set on the things of the Spirit. 6Now the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace. 7The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit to God’s law. Indeed, it is unable to do so. 8Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. 10Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

The Holy Spirit’s Ministries

12So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” 16The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, 17and if children, also heirs — heirs of God and coheirs with Christ — if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

From Groans to Glory

18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is going to be revealed to us. 19For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to futility — not willingly, but because of him who subjected it — in the hope 21that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now. 23Not only that, but we ourselves who have the Spirit as the firstfruits — we also groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24Now in this hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25Now if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with patience.

26In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

The Believer’s Triumph

31What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:

Because of you

we are being put to death all day long;

we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers