Walk By The Spirit
Scripture: Romans 8:3-4 (ESV)
3 For God has done
what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the
righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit
Devotion:
We often think of the laws of God as
having tremendous strength, and they do! However, human fleshly desires keep
the law from accomplishing what God gave us the law for. Hence, there is a need
for God to send His Son Jesus Christ into the world. Because the flesh was weak,
it was necessary for Jesus to come to remedy what was lacking in the law.
Jesus' appearance on earth put to
death the ill effects of the weakness of the flesh but gave us a new life we
live in the Spirit. Jesus is a perfectly sinless life lived in the weakness of
the flesh, put to death in us the power of sin in our lives. God is a righteous
God who cannot tolerate the presence of sin. So, God in Jesus became sinless
flesh that all flesh would be redeemed. Humanity was saved from the power of
sin. No condemnation was possible after Jesus defeated death at the cross and
empty tomb.
Indeed, we who walked by the flesh
and gave in to its sinful desires were changed. The death and resurrection of
Jesus meant that we could have freedom from the sentence of death the law had
imposed upon our flesh. Now, those who have believed in Jesus could walk about
in the power of the Holy Spirit, conquering sin daily in our lives. Praise be
to God, who was willing to go to such lengths to save us because of how much He
loved His creation.
What do we do with our newfound
freedom and power as we walk about filled with the Holy Spirit? First, we must
tell the world about the transformation that has occurred in us. For us, living
out that power in our daily lives is more important than talking. We must care
for the widow, the orphan, and the otherwise powerless people in the world. We are
to take care of all those pushed to the margins of society. The future of souls
lies with us to be faithful witnesses to the Spirit that lives within us.
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for giving us your
Holy Spirit so we may live in His power. Help our lives be demonstrations not
of slavish adherence to the law delivered to Moses but to the Spirit brought to
us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May all the world know that we are
living under a superior power now? We transform all our relationships with this
power. Being filled with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness,
gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control, may we bring a new and living hope
into the world. Amen.
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