Friday, September 4, 2009

Fri.'s Devo - The Spirit of Adoption

Read Ro. 8: 1-16
I think this first verse is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible by Christians. Condemnation means an adverse sentence. So it means that those who walk in the Spirit will not receive an adverse sentence. The emphasis is on "those who walk in the Spirit", not "no more condemnation". The next verse talks about 2 laws: the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus and the law of sin and death. The first law was given on stone tablets and showed us our weak flesh. This is the law of sin and death. The second law came in the form of Jesus. He was the law embodied. He fulfilled the law to the letter but did it by the spirit of God. Jesus had to come in sinful flesh and have his flesh torn from him to show that no good thing comes from the flesh. Jesus couldn't even live this life through his flesh, he depended on the spirit of God. That is why he said, "I only do what I see the Father doing." He could not trust his flesh to do anything. On the cross Jesus said, "the flesh is weak but the sprit is strong."
If Jesus couldn't live this life through his flesh, why do we even try? Our flesh cannot please God. Our righteousness is filthy rags, but the spirit IS God, so it does what He would do. God's spirit raised Christ from the dead and it will also vitalize our bodies. The spirit helps us kill our old habits and desires. When we decide to live by the spirit he exchanges the spirit of bondage for the spirit of adoption. He becomes our daddy. This is one of the hardest things for some Christians to get: this spirit of adoption. Mostly because many are born into a world of rejection so until they can receive this spirit of adoption they have a hard time with people and life.
Lord, return us to the Father's love and pour out your spirit of adoption on a rejected generation.

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