Todays Devotion (Romans 8-10) Why work so hard to prove to men you have changed, when the true reward is in changing your heart for Christ. Please LIKE and SHARE on Facebook to spread the Good Word! That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be (Rom. 8:4-7). As we look at what leads us to accept the salvation that is offered by our Lord, we need to examine the changes that take place in the life of a person that has been reborn into the family of God. In order to receive salvation by grace, we first must realize that we need to be saved. Through the convicting and illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, we are led to see how sinful unbelief in Jesus is (John 16:8-11). Only when a person recognizes that he is a lost sinner, living in rebellion against his Creator God, will there be a godly sorrow that leads to repentance and salvation. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death (II Cor. 7:10). When we accept Christ as our personal Savior, we receive the Spiritual Nature of God, which enables us to be led by and filled with the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit). Christians will sincerely desire that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk (live) not after (in the ways of) the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh (governed by lusts of natural man) do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. In short, once we have received the Holy Spirit, we will want to forgo sin and live for God. We will have true repentance of (genuinely be sorry for) the sins we have committed, and we will feel the conviction in our heart to change our ways. For, if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify (put an end to) the deeds of the body, you shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Rom. 8:13-14). True repentance results in a change of our heart attitude, which then shows itself in a change in our behavior. There are those that attempt to do things the other way around; they focus on changing their behavior to make it appear that they have changed their heart. However, without a true spiritual conversion, these behavioral changes will be temporary at best. The carnal mind is enmity against (hostile to) God: for it is not subject to the Law of God. In order for the true likeness of Christ (in relation to our outward behavior) to be seen in us, we must yield to the power of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to reign as Lord of our lives over our thoughts, words, and deeds. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). Excerpts from SBC / BiblePathway / Delaney Baptist Church
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 19:14:21 +0000
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