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So don't you see that we don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There's nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life.God's Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us - an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him! (Romans 8:12-17 The Message Version)
Dear Friend, may the blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you today and all days is my prayer for you. Today's passage is from the Letter to the Romans, but it has been called The Gospel According to Saint Paul, for in it he shares the good news about Jesus to the people in the capital city of world at that time. Paul's excitement for Jesus never waned, and it is evident as you read through this exciting book.
The Message Version of the Bible is a modern paraphrase edition of the Bible, with phrases and words that bring an extra dimension to God's word. The title for today's devotional comes from verse 14 and shares Paul's excitement over a Spirit-led life. Being a reader in the city of Rome was like being one in a city like New York or Las Vegas. You can go only so many blocks and temptation hits you in the face; it is very easy to please the desires of the flesh in most major cities, or any city or town for that matter; but Paul calls us out of that way of thinking in the first verse: "We don't owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent." Do it yourself makes me blush for I think of that one time out of many, when I took on a fix-it situation at one of our parsonages. That experiment took about 15 trips back and forth from the hardware store. I expected them to call me by name each time I returned! I am not a fix-it-yourself type of guy, nor am I when it comes to spiritual things. I am powerless and weak, as are you; we need God to come in and do it for us, which He did through Jesus Christ. He took our old life and crucified it with Him on the cross and gave us a new life. He took our raggedy sins and buried them - ain't no use "grave-tending" as Paul's says. We have a resurrection life! "It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike 'What's next, Papa?'" My dad was one of those type dads. He never was one to fully or thoroughly explain where we were going; get into the car or pack your suitcase was all we needed to hear, and off we went. Whether it was a Sunday drive or a visit to Walt Disney World the very first summer it was open; we were on an adventure.
God's Holy Spirit had made those of us who have asked, children of the Most High. God is our Father and we are His Children by simply asking and believing; then getting busy with the things we need to do and ready for the next places we are to visit. "What an unbelievable inheritance!" Paul said. Hard times will only lead to good; difficult times will be easier to face, knowing and trusting that Jesus is with us.
Are you packed and ready? Are you excited? I am!
PRAYER: Loving Father, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Make me a child of Yours. Bless me with the excitement that comes from faithful obedience to following you. Help me do what things you have asked of me; and as the journey continues, "what's next, Papa?" This I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! You have an adventure waiting!
Eradio Valverde
