5/30 Romans 8:17-27
17 And since we are his children, we will share his treasures — for everything God gives to his Son, Christ, is ours, too. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, everything on earth was subjected to God’s curse. 21 All creation anticipates the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us. 24 Now that we are saved, we eagerly look forward to this freedom. For if you already have something, you don’t need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don’t have yet, we must wait patiently and confidently. 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don’t even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
SHARE
I suspect that you like me often struggle with the idea of our sharing in Christ’s glorious freedom right now. Oh we think about heaven and when things are going right we speak confidently but what about when things go terribly wrong what then? We share this moment all Christ’s riches. We can only imagine in the most primitive way what this will mean but we know that it is significant. We share in all of His glory and riches and consequently in His suffering for the world hates Jesus. The fact that we share in His sufferings and can see and experience that should encourage us to more strongly believe in the sharing in His riches that will one day be ours. Rejoice for we belong to the King of Glory and will benefit from His glorious riches from now into eternity.
Author - Clay Corvin
5/29 Romans 8:11-16
11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you. 12 So, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. 13 For if you keep on following it, you will perish. But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 So you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family — calling him “Father, dear Father.” 16 For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children.
CHANGE
Yes even after being saved our nature urges us to sinful things. No we are no longer under its control for the Holy Spirit indwells us and He gives us the power we need to stop sinning. It is an act of our will. I can choose not to sin therefore I encourage you to stop sinning. And when you do sin immediately return to Jesus and ask Him to forgive you and equip you as you again turn away from sin. The spiritual walk is easy. But it is impossible to sin and continue on a Godly path. Choose who you will follow and do it.
5/28 Romans 8:1-10
So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses could not save us, because of our sinful nature. But God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours, except that ours are sinful. God destroyed sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the requirement of the law would be fully accomplished for us who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. 5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. 9 But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them are not Christians at all.) 10 Since Christ lives within you, even though your body will die because of sin, your spirit is alive because you have been made right with God.
FREE
We are free in Christ. He broke our chains of bondage and gives us a new heart and a new life. Life in Christ is life surrendered to Him. We develop a willingness to obey Jesus and a yearning to be with Jesus. This results in a growing faith and an inspired loyalty. The Holy Spirit resides in us to encourage and unite us with Jesus. Everything we need for spiritual living and spiritual growth we will find in Jesus.
5/27 Romans 7:14-25
14 The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15 I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. 18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. 19 When I want to do good, I don’t. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it. 21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.
JESUS CHRIST
Jesus Christ is the answer to the problems we face in life. He calls us to come and walk with Him to learn how to live. He will give us directions for living that will equip us to do the Father’s will and experience victory in daily living. Ask Jesus and He will help you.
5/26 Romans 7:7-13
7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is evil? Of course not! The law is not sinful, but it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” 8 But sin took advantage of this law and aroused all kinds of forbidden desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 I felt fine when I did not understand what the law demanded. But when I learned the truth, I realized I had broken the law and was a sinner, doomed to die. 10 So the good law, which was supposed to show me the way of life, instead gave me the death penalty. 11 Sin took advantage of the law and fooled me; it took the good law and used it to make me guilty of death. 12 But still, the law itself is holy and right and good. 13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my doom? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commandment for its own evil purposes.
SIN
We waste a lot of time thinking about how others sin. We sin. The problems that we face are often caused by our sin. We will not be judged for someone else’s sin only our own. Pay attention to how you are living. Ask the Lord to guide you away from a lifestyle of sin.
5/25 Romans 7:5-6
5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died with Christ, and we are no longer captive to its power. Now we can really serve God, not in the old way by obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way, by the Spirit.
LIFE
Jesus gives us real life. We were once dead in our trespasses and sin but now we are alive in Jesus Christ. His power enables us to receive His grace so that we might live moment by moment under His guidance and direction.
5/24 Romans 7:1-4
Now, dear brothers and sisters — you who are familiar with the law — don’t you know that the law applies only to a person who is still living? 2 Let me illustrate. When a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. 3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries. 4 So this is the point: The law no longer holds you in its power, because you died to its power when you died with Christ on the cross. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, you can produce good fruit, that is, good deeds for God.
CHOICE
You now have a choice. We can know Jesus and follow Him. We are no longer in the chains of bondage to sin. We have the Living Lord Jesus resident in us and He loves us. Follow the Lord. You now have a choice.
5/23 Luke 24:40-53
40 As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his feet. 41 Still they stood there doubting, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched. 44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me by Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must all come true.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand these many Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day. 47 With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things. 49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.” 50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 They worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
SCRIPTURE
The Holy Scripture bears witness of Jesus to us. The Living Word speaks into our hearts the Word of belief and the description of what a follower of Christ does. Listen to the directives of God’s Word and grow. Let the Word work out in your daily life and you will know what the Lord is calling you to do. Hearing the Lord is not difficult as we study His Word and follow Him.
5/22 Luke 24:36-39
36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 37 But the whole group was terribly frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why do you doubt who I am? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do!”
SEEING
We often think that seeing is believing and indeed the disciples saw Jesus. They struggled with belief. We struggle with belief. Get to know the Lord. You will struggle with belief but it is important that you go through the struggle day by day knowing Jesus and growing in your belief.
5/21 Luke 24:32-35
32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts feel strangely warm as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” 33 And within the hour they were on their way back to Jerusalem, where the eleven disciples and the other followers of Jesus were gathered. When they arrived, they were greeted with the report, 34 “The Lord has really risen! He appeared to Peter !” 35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.
YOU
Do YOU recognize Jesus when He is trying to give you guidance? Are YOU listening for Him to direct you? When you are discouraged Jesus will encourage you. If this has not been your experience then you need to talk with Jesus. He will not hide from you neither will He forsake you.