Romans 8:14-17 (NRSV)
Read Romans 8:14-17 on biblegateway.com
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
“When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:15-16
One of the “high points” in my spiritual journey was to travel to Holden Village. Tucked away in the Cascade Mts. of Washington, this retreat center truly is a “special place apart.” During our week spent in the Village, the Spirit was at work in and around me, bringing me to a deeper and closer walk with God. Whether it was the daily worship times, the hiking we did, the jacuzzi under the star-lit sky, the plunge into the creek following the sauna, or the many conversations about faith and life, God’s Spirit was bearing witness with my spirit.
How thankful we can all be as we think back on “mountain top” experiences when the Spirit of God touches our lives, so that we can touch others. Reading and studying Scripture, hearing many formal as well as informal and spontaneous sermons, singing and making music, reaching out in service to others, all combine to touch our spirits with God’s Spirit, confirming we are children of God!
Prayer
Abba, Father, you have given us life and breathed your Spirit into our lives so that we might know the wonder of being yours. In our words and deeds may we be your witness to others as your beloved children. Amen.