Living in the Spirit

May 27, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Romans 8:12-17

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— for 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. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For 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!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and 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.

I dubbed my mother the great egalitarian many years ago when I first became acquainted with the word. I do not ever remember calling her that to her face, but my brother and sister agreed it was an apt descriptor. Treating others equally was in her bones. I think it came directly from the Bible, which she studied ardently. She acknowledged and practiced the words of Paul that we are children of God and thus all heirs.

Besides the world and all that is in it, what have we inherited from God? First and foremost, we have received the gift of unconditional love. Having been made in the image of God, we, too, can love unconditionally. God with us in the person of Jesus modeled for us God’s love even going to the cross. In creating each of us in God’s image, we were given skills to make God’s world a place of shalom–completeness, soundness, welfare, peace. We, in turn, must want that type of existence and dedicate our lives to attaining it.

That sounds cut and dried, but it is not. To maximize our skills and contribution to making that vision a reality, we must not only do all we can to realize God’s Kingdom but also help everyone reach their highest potential as we work together. And that is the truth my mother gleaned from her Bible study.

Prayer: Lord, help us dedicate our lives to reaching our potential while enabling all to meet theirs. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.