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There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 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, 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. 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. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 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. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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. (Romans 8:1-11)
How does your body react when you hear the opening notes of the Chicken Dance? The song popular some years ago, YMCA? Or, the Latin-themed, Macarena? If you're honest and like most, a part of you gets motivated to dance or laugh. Several years ago while preaching on the Holy Spirit I asked those of our Winter Texan guests who liked to dance, to come forward and volunteer their expertise. It was classic. I had our sound guy play a CD that I had recorded with those songs, and the results were just as I had hoped. And it was easier to make the point that when the Spirit moves us, it should do so with more power than any song. Paul is making the case for this very thing without the aid of any music. Paul knew the power of the Holy Spirit, and He knew the person of Jesus. His first declaration is one we should recite every day: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Which means if we have asked Christ Jesus into our lives, the condemnation of sin has been removed. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit allows us to live lives that bring honor and glory to God. Our minds are set on the things of God and away from the former things that served only to bring us down into sin. God has taken up residence in us and we should live lives that give proof of that. Our very actions should all give witness to life and away from the things of death. Minds set on the earthy things are enemies of God; with God living in us we belong to God and act accordingly. Resurrection power lives in us, and that same power give us life and the things we need to face life.
PRAYER: Loving God, help me to move my life according to the prompting of Your Spirit. I invite You in again this day into my heart, mind, and spirit. Let the Resurrection power be mine as I face life and life's challenges. This I pray in Christ Jesus' powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Move as the Spirit prompts you!
Eradio Valverde
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