Romans 8:12-25 (NRSV)
Read Romans 8:12-25 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. Verse 18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. Verse 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; Verse 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope Verse 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Verse 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; Verse 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. Verse 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? Verse 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Devotion
This idea of "hoping for what we do not yet see" (v.25) is one that my wife and I are in the midst of this present moment. As I write this, my wife is 14 weeks pregnant. Things are well with her and the baby, but the waiting game is well under way. I wait as a patient person, but even more profoundly, I wait as a patient father. This waiting game is different than waiting for Christmas as a child. This is the waiting for a child who will enter into this sinful world in December. I pray that this Spirit of "truth" and "life" that Paul so speaks of, may be made known to my child. I pray that this Spirit is not just one of imagination, but rather, an actual living, breathing Spirit that may guide the child into a faithful life. May this be so even when I, as a sinful human father, may fail at times. This is the "hopefulness" I hear today.
Prayer
God of Creation, let us give thanks for your creative Spirit, a spirit of "truth" and "life." May your Spirit keep us in a life of fruitfulness rather than a life of sin. May your grace be upon us this day, and may your Spirit enter our hearts and minds. Amen.