God of riches and might, pour out Your grace and power on the needs in the life of this dear reader; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text for today comes from Romans 8: 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 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 to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For 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, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But 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. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If 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. (NRSV)
How you choose to start each day will more than likely determine the rest of the day. If you choose to start with prayer and dedicate yourself completely to God's service, your attitude will be different than if you decide to just do everything on your own. Your choice of starting with prayer and reminding yourself that Christ lives in you and has come so that you might have life in fullness makes all the difference in the world. It might even make a world of difference in your relationships, your work life, if you let Christ bless you and guide you in your living. Consider sitting at breakfast and your son spills your coffee on your shirt. Will you angrily rebuke your son for his clumsiness? Will you run upstairs angry at your wife for putting the coffee too close to the edge where this could happen? What would you do if you discover that while you've been changing your shirt, you son has been crying about being scolded in that way and so he didn't eat and he missed his bus to school; your wife can't take him because she's late, and your having to take your son will make you late for work so you speed? And after teh $200 fine for speeding, a son who jumps out of the car without telling you goodbye, you arrive late to work and instead of spending time making sure your co-workers are okay, you have to start to work immediately and what a day that is? You come home to discover there is now a chasm in your relationship with your son and wife... Or, you say, "Son, that's okay. Be a little more careful next time. Let me just go and change this shirt..." Would everything be the same as if you had jumped on folks?
The Spirit of Christ dwells in those who ask. The Spirit of Christ helps us make the better (and not always easier) decisions that help bless us in the long run. The fullness of life is so much better than simply existing and getting by.
PRAYER: Loving God, the day has already started and I may have not prayed as I should and I may have already upset my loved ones; please forgive me and help me make everything right with them. I seek to live as Your child today and I want the fullness of life. I ask this in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
