Romans 8:12-17 (NRSV)
Read Romans 8:12-17 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh- Verse 13for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. Verse 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. Verse 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" Verse 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Verse 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Devotion
One of the hardest things about being in a relationship with somebody else -- be it a spouse, a sibling, a friend, a child, a coworker -- is that the choices we make affect that person. We can't always do what we want; we have to take someone else's wishes and needs into consideration (or at least, we do if we want that relationship to last more than about five minutes). That takes patience, compassion, sensitivity, self-sacrifice, and compromise. What a lot of work! But in relationships that are really worth something, it's work that is gladly done. And we would expect nothing less in return.
This is exactly what God wants of us, too -- for us to think not of ourselves first, but of how our choices affect our relationship with him. Then, Paul writes, the Spirit will remind us of all the benefits of being God's child. We will live, and our lives will be filled with God's blessings.
Prayer
Remind us, Lord, of what it means to put you first in our lives. Help us satisfy your desire that we seek you first, love you passionately, and worship you with our whole heart. Amen.