Category: Devotions

If you focus on the wrong you have done; what you don’t have then you will not be looking at what God has done for you and what God has given you.

“Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.” (Romans 8 v 33)

It doesn’t matter where you look. 

Look up at the holy angels. Look down at the fallen angels. Look across the world to every person you have ever encountered. Look in the mirror and remember everything about your life, things open and hidden. 

Who can accuse you now that God has chosen and made you right in Jesus Christ?

It doesn’t mean that accusation isn’t there. 

The accuser is never that far away in some form or another.

His aim is to get you to believe what He is saying to you:

“I’m useless; I’m a failure; God dislikes me; God is disappointed in me; I’m lonely.”

For what you think you are is what you do. 

Sin happened because man didn’t know who he was in God and tried to become someone he was never intended to be.

You stand righteous in Jesus.

God will never accuse you. If He did it would mean His salvation was a failure. It wasn’t and He won’t.

We, like Paul, know what it is to have people and things come against us. We know times when we were “under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.” (2 Corinthians 1:9) We have been “hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted and struck down” (2 Corinthians 4:8). How do we respond? How do we continue?

^“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8 v 31-32)

We have nothing to fear. Victory is on our side.

The hardest thing that God has ever done was the giving up of His Son for us all, to die on the cross for our sin. If you understand what it meant for God to bring salvation to this world then you will see that God has achieved the greatest thing. If God has removed the power of sin and death over your life then why today of all days (Good Friday) are you worrying over whatever is against you. God is with you. He has crossed over to your side and is on your side! God is with you and He is able and He will graciously give you all things to get through all things. He is on your side.

The masterpiece verses are here today. They have brought comfort to every Christian in every generation since they were written.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” (Romans 8 v 28-30)

Everything of our life, what happens to us, what we have done, the hurts and difficulties are not outside of the gaze of God. Neither is it outside of the control of Him. We may not realise this side of heaven exactly how this works for the good. But the promise is that God is filtering everything and using it for His purposes.

More than this, He is in control of our future also. Predestined, called, justified and glorified. It shows us that God controls our eternity. He knows. Therefore no one can say they have worked enough to get the qualification to get there. He has sorted it all.

So whether in the present or in the future God is in control of your life. Nothing happens outside of His control. He holds you.

That is the comfort we need today.

Are you suffering today? You may not be. But you are older than you were yesterday and perhaps it is showing! Every one of us have bodies that fail us.

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hopethatthe creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8 v 18-27)

I think of the retired Pastor yesterday who after a long time of suffering is now with the Lord as he passed away.

1. We all live in a broken world so even Christians suffer.
2. Your suffering now will be overwhelmed by what you will receive after you die.
3. You are not the only one who is suffering. You are part of creation itself who in its first-fruits groans out of frustration.
4. You are not isolated in your suffering for the Spirit inwardly groans and intercedes for us.
5. Your groans will turn into glory.

How difficult it is to fully express what life is like one second after we die!

There is no way we will ever understand fully the glory of God until we leave this life.

In its simplistic form it is to see His beauty through the lens of His actions, character and nature.

There is a glory in heaven that Moses longed for and partially saw; that Isaiah saw in the Temple and that John would see in his Revelation, “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” (21:23) Our world is in a mess. But there is a beauty that is coming into the world, the glory of God, Jesus!

There are just some days when in the battle between trying in your own strength and living in the realm of the Spirit you just feel you’re not doing too well.

There are just some days when you just may not feel worthy to be called God’s child. You can’t identify anything that warrants or qualifies you for this amazing position.

So once again … welcome Holy Spirit! Where would we be without Him?!

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8 v 12-17)

It has happened. Whether we feel it or not. The adoption scheme that through His mercy and grace brought you into His family and to be that child of God. Who did that? The Holy Spirit did and continues to remind you of this.

Today the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, prompting you, “Go on, call Him Father, call Him Abba.” This personal, intimate, familiar title is given only because of relationship with the Holy Spirit. Call Him Abba prayerfully, worshipfully and in surrender, no matter what is happening in your life. And see what happens!

There seems to be a lot of ‘if’s’ in these next verses!

But they also contain great hope and promise!

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.” (Romans 8 v 9-11)

We are all getting older aren’t we? We talk about our diet and exercise more as we get older because we want to prolong our stay here. We spend hours at the surgery, the chemist, pills, creams and potions. I even went to a chiropodist the other day very reluctantly. I thought only old people go there. I quite enjoyed it.

I don’t want to grow old. Why couldn’t we have been born old and die young. That would be amazing wouldn’t it?

But one thing I want to pursue is that as I am getting older and as my body is gearing itself to go downhill that I don’t die old in my spirit. The Paul underneath this wrinkly skin and balding head must be youthful, passionate and energetic for the things of God. I don’t want to complain that the church isn’t good enough or its members don’t have the experiences I have had. I want to be fun to be around. I want people to want to have a coffee with me. That’s my long term goal. Now how will that happen? It’s all in the IF.

…if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit …

But if Christ is in you …

And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus …

For the Holy Spirit has not passed away. He is alive today in our lives. The same Holy Spirit who the Apostle says raised Jesus from the dead will also cause the greatest breath to come upon us when we breathe for the last time on this earth, so that we too will not die but live for ever.

He does not grow old. He is today in our lives witnessing to us in every doubt, situation and circumstance. How do we know what we know? How can we speak so confidently that it would seem like we were witnesses of the events of Christianity? It is the partnership of the Holy Spirit who continually speaks to us and through us. How can we be so positive? How can we be as passionate for God and the Church as we were 40 years ago? It is because the Holy Spirit has not aged and He is in us! So today, thank Him. Ask Him to go on witnessing as your partner in the gospel. We are indeed not alone! We can die old but be very young all at the same time!

We celebrate today on this Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to the crowds cheering but who had totally misunderstood the scene. Jesus’ response was this: ‘I’m not that kind of hero’. I’m here as a different king to the one you are used to.”

They missed it then and we still do.

“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit …” Romans 8 v 9

We see everything through a different lens now.

Daily we make the choice not to approach life the way the world does and not be governed by the desires and the longings that humanity has. We now know ‘the man on the donkey’ moment could well be God in Humility, the Suffering Servant and so we don’t dismiss or try to misinterpret what we see. For we train ourselves away from the domain and sphere of humanity to that of the Holy Spirit.

In doing so we step into the atmosphere of the Spirit where He breathes, moves, lives and acts through our lives, as we align ourselves with Him.

I’m sorry if that sounds offensive! I don’t mean to be rude.

I wonder how many years of our life we have spent devoted to ourselves. Preening in front of the mirror, weighing ourselves, exercising because our clothes have shrunk. Or what about our thought-life? Mulling over the offence given to us, struggling to hold back our frustration at what we should have said or planning on what we will say given half the chance. Our life has consisted of either beating ourselves up or boasting so that others can see us in a different light. Perhaps attention to ‘ME’ has not helped me at all?

Paul has come a long way from being the “wretched man I am!” (7 v 24) to now living and walking in the power of the Spirit (8 v 1-4). Here is how he does it:

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8 v 5-8)

Every day is an opportunity to take our eyes off ourselves and to train our thoughts to think on the Spirit.

That’s the decision we have to make every day. We either try in our strength or we live in the Spirit’s power.

We have that choice.

Our minds set on … (our minds) governed by … the Spirit are therefore not in the ‘realm of the flesh’ but in the sphere, rule, influence and authority of the Spirit and therefore can and do please God because we learn to focus our entire lives around what the Spirit desires.

What does the Spirit think about me?

Is He comfortable living with me?

Is He in charge or do I use Him?

How much time do I spend thinking about the Spirit in me?

I’m not saying don’t look into the mirror, that could be disastrous for people like me. But let us decide today to think more on the Spirit and less on ourselves.

We love chapter 8 of Romans don’t we? Especially the opening. And rightly so!

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 

² because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 

³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 

⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8 v 1-4)

NO CONDEMNATION, we don’t face spiritual death, NO FEAR. (v1)

BECAUSE …

The authority and the power of the Holy Spirit has freed us from the law of sin and death, of trying to please God by our own efforts. (v2)

How?

Jesus Christ did not sin though he looked like us (sinful flesh); instead he offered himself to take our place for the judgment of sin. (v3)

WHY?

So that the law of God might be totally fulfilled as we live and walk in the power of the Spirit and not by our own efforts.

That’s the decision we have to make every day. We either try in our strength or we live in the Spirit’s power.

Today I can choose to walk in the Spirit’s power and not my own strength. So let’s talk to the Holy Spirit today.

On your best day, when you have truly been that good Christian, you haven’t sinned (too much!) and you feel a sense of satisfaction that today was better than yesterday, why is it you still feel less than perfect? Why do you feel you could have done more? Maybe that’s just how it was meant to be if we were left to our own strength to become what only God could make us.

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful naturea slave to the law of sin. (Romans 7 v 14-25)

The law of God is holy, just, good and spiritual.

But this law cannot change you. It is spiritual and we are fleshly. This godly lifestyle that you want to achieve will not make you godly because you are ungodly.

The law of God cannot help you into freedom. Left to ourselves we cannot obey God’s laws and even God’s law cannot get us to obey them. Even though we know God wrote His law, even that doesn’t impact us enough to be able to keep it.

The law doesn’t make me free rather it imprisons me.

So if it is pointless to try to keep a godly lifestyle; if the godly lifestyle only tells me I have failed; if I become even more trapped by this godly lifestyle: why bother? Who will rescue me …?

It is always and only and all of Jesus who leads us into freedom and who through the Spirit of God lives, breathes and works through our lives. If we fail then the blood of Jesus continues to deliver us!