The Spirit Gives Life – April 1, 2022

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.
Romans 8:9,10

The Spirit Gives Life

Have you ever received a gift that made you so excited that you never used it? I doubt it! When we get a gift, we’ve longed to receive, it’s only natural to begin using it immediately.

Maybe you remember a toy you received as a child for Christmas. You couldn’t wait to get up the next morning to play with it again. Maybe you received a puppy and couldn’t wait to take it for its first walk around the block. Or maybe it was the gift of your newborn baby, and you couldn’t wait for the nurse to place that little one into your arms for the first time.

When you receive a wonderful gift, it just makes sense to use that gift immediately and often. To lay it aside and live as if you hadn’t received it simply would not make any sense.

So why would we ever think of laying aside the greatest and most precious gift we can ever receive—the gift of God’s Holy Spirit? When we freely receive the Spirit of Christ, we also receive the perfect forgiveness of sins, the assurance that our eternal condemnation is crushed, and the certainty of an eternal home in heaven. In short, the Spirit gives life, now and forever. Use it! Live it!

The apostle Paul could not have been clearer. “If Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.” Through the gift of God’s Spirit, Jesus’ righteousness—his perfection—is yours. That’s the gift of life! Use it!

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, inspire me to use my new life in service to you and others in love. Amen.