Romans 8:9-10 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. New King James Version (NKJV)
My wife Jean has a hibiscus plant that she received from her grandfather 20 years ago. It has survived two moves, being planted in the yard and in a pot inside the house. Recently all of the leaves wilted and died. From outward appearances it was dead. If you scratched the bark however, it was still green. It was suffering from a disease. There are some remedies including watering with bleach in the water and also repotting the plant. Hopefully, it will not be too late and we will see the sprouts that will indicate new life.
Our lives may seem that way at times, seemingly dead on the outside. Perhaps, we need the bleach and water of God's Word and His Spirit to give us a new "lease on life", a life in Christ. If the Spirit of Christ is in us it will happen. As we read yesterday, in Christ there is now no condemnation, the past with its sin can be left behind, we have the opportunity to move forward into new life.
I'm reminded of another chorus that we sang when I was in my teens. It is still true today.
New Life in Christ abundant and free!
What glories shine, what joys are mine,
What wondrous blessings I see!
My past with its sin, the searching and strife,
Forever gone -- There's a bright new dawn!
For in Christ I have found new life.
May God grant us the grace, the power to live in the Spirit to restore, refresh and renew, to see new life in our lives.
In Christ,
Mike
Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace NIV
Romans 8:5-10
New International Version (NIV)
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death,but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 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. 10 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.
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