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
Children of God, rejoice! Filled with the Spirit, we are siblings with Christ who suffered, died, and rose again. Although falling into despair when we, or those we love, suffer from illness or disease, the Spirit allows us to cry to our Father in heaven, knowing with complete certainty that our prayers are heard. Claimed by Christ, we live confident in God’s promise of eternal life, pushing away fear of the bondage of sin.
Knowing who we are, and whose we are, let us live each day as beloved children of God set free from the chains of sin through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension. Living in the Spirit, we heed Jesus’ commandment to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbors as ourselves. God loved us enough to send the Son so that we might be saved, and Jesus loved us enough to die for our sins that we might be given eternal life.
Prayer
Abba! Father! Thank you for sending the Spirit to bear witness that we are your children. Give us the strength to live into our inheritance as siblings of Christ, to whom all glory and honor is due. Amen.
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