Romans 8:12-17 (NRSV)
Read Romans 8:12-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- Verse 13for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Verse 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Verse 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" Verse 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Verse 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Devotion
We can get as trapped in the constraints of “being good” as any other sin. We can forget that we are not acceptable to God only when we are well behaved, that grace is not earned. We are beloved at all times. Being rooted in such a safe assurance gives us the freedom to step out and try risky things—like acting as the Spirit urges. In such gestures we become fully alive.
Prayer
Abba, we are just children. We need your spirit to give us the courage to grow and to be. Lead us from death to life. Amen.