photo #7476857

Millard Kinnison on October 14, 2024

2 views

Together in Christ: 'God's Spirit Alive in Us!' — Romans 8:9-11

Monday, October 14, 2024

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 8:9-11 NLT

Key Thought...

The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive in us and guarantees our own resurrection. Why? Because the same Spirit Who worked in Jesus' life is at work in ours.

As children of God, Jesus poured the Holy Spirit into our lives to bless and empower us [1] after the Spirit cleansed us [2] and made God's home within us [3] while making us into His holy temples. [4] The Spirit teaches us the truth about Jesus, [5] helps us understand God's truth when presented to us, [6] and is at work transforming us to become more like Jesus. [7]

Jesus wants us to grow in our relational intimacy with the Spirit of God and realize the Spirit makes the entire presence of God — as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — at home in our lives. [8] So, let's watch for evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and seek His guidance as we seek to live for Jesus.

[1] Titus 3:3-7.

[2] 1 Corinthians 6:11.

[3] John 14:15-23.

[4] 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

[5] 1 John 2:20-27.

[6] 1 Corinthians 2:7-14.

[7] 2 Corinthians 3:18. We may not be accustomed to thinking of things this way, but when we experience joy and peace, are kind and gentle with someone, are faithful in resisting a temptation, exhibit self-control when facing a difficult situation, and do other Christ-like things, those things happen because of the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23) and are part of the Spirit's work in transforming us to become more like Jesus.

[8] John 14:15-23.

Today's Prayer

Father, please accept Paul's blessing prayer [A] as our prayer for each other:

Now may the God of peace make [us] holy in every way, and may [our] whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls [us] is faithful.. . .May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with [us]. [Amen.]

[A] From 1 Thessalonians 5:23–24, 28.