Prayer – Lord, show us how we can live to please You. You sacrificed Your life for us—and set us free from our sinful nature. What joy fills our hearts and lives. Thank you.
So
now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because
you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the
power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us
because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not
do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in
that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son
as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the
law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but
instead follow the Spirit. 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. So letting your sinful nature control your
mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and
peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's
laws, and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of
their sinful nature can never please God. 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 do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so
even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life
because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus
from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead,
he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:1-11 (Underlined for
emphasis.)
Meditate.
Consider God’s truth in scripture. Read God’s word and listen to what He is
saying.
What has
freed you from sin?
Jesus' sacrifice on the cross...
freed us from sin.
Do you belong to Christ?
Paul explained to the people at the
church in Rome…and to us…that the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments, and the sacrificial
system that God provided to the Israelites through Moses were not able to save
us from our sins. God sacrificed His own Son to put an end to sin—to fulfill
the requirements of the Law. The Holy Spirit has control over the Lord’s followers,
encouraging them to think about things that please God and this results in life—eternal
life. Sinners don’t live to please God, but think about sinful things that
result in death. Everyone’s bodies will die one day, but those who have the Spirit
of God—the Holy Spirit—living in them will be given a new life—immortal life.
The old way, with laws etched in
stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel
could not bear to look at Moses' face. For his face shone with the glory of
God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn't we expect
far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life?
If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious
is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was
not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if
the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is
the new, which remains forever! 2
Corinthians 3:7-11
Read the
passage of scripture from Romans again for yourself. Do you belong to Christ?
Has He freed you from sin? The choice is yours.
Verse
of Salvation ~ We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God
through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our
own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his
new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The
old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit
gives life. 2
Corinthians 3:4-6
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
What is
the recipe for perfect pumpkin pie? Instead of birthday cake Barry prefers
pumpkin pie. Light a candle and have a creamy piece of pie!
My
favorite recipe for pumpkin pie is a trip to Costco. Their tasty pumpkin pies
are so inexpensive you can hardly buy the ingredients and bake you own for that
price. I’ll be headed there a couple of days before Thanksgiving Day. Let me
know in the comments below what your favorite pie recipe is. Enjoy these days
of planning and preparation before the big feast day!
Happy Birthday Brother Barry!
Blessings
For
Everyone…Be Thankful with Gentleness in Your Heart
© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise
noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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