Romans 8:6–11 (NRSV)
Read Romans 8:6–11 on biblegateway.com
Verse 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Verse 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-indeed it cannot, Verse 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Verse 9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Verse 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. Verse 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Devotion
Did you know that if you place one end of a 12-inch birch log in dishwashing liquid and then blow on the other end, your breath can make bubbles on the soapy end? Just like that birch log, we can conduct the breath of God through our work and our everyday life. “People who are self-centered aren’t able to please God. But you aren’t self-centered. Instead, you are in the Spirit” (Romans 8:8–9, CEB).
It’s a great reminder to comprehend that being “in the Spirit” can simply mean being open so that God’s Spirit can flow through us. It gives us the freedom to be generous with our lives, our time, our money. This passage promises that when we let the Spirit guide our lives, “the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you” (Romans 8:11, CEB). We don’t have to supply all the effort—God will provide.
Prayer
God of generosity, you gave us everything we need, and in you we find our greatest satisfaction. Be with us as we worry about how and what we are doing, and remind us that you are there, animating our lives with your breath of life. Amen.