But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
We are free from law and law-keeping as a basis for our righteousness! Does that mean anarchy and lawlessness? Absolutely not! The grace that freed us from the law also brought God's Holy Spirit to live within us. The Spirit can empower us to do what we could never do on our own (Ephesians 3:14-21). The Spirit helps us in our weakness to pray with confidence and boldness (Romans 8:26-27). With the Spirit's help, we are brought into a circle of accountable friends joined together by the grace of God and the Spirit of Christ. We can encourage each other to let the Holy Spirit have his way in us as we develop the fruit of the Spirit — love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) — and are transformed to be more and more like Jesus as we pursue and reflect him in our lives (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Thank God for this "new way" to live holy and loving lives in a world that needs holiness and love!
My Prayer...
Father, thank you for redeeming and delivering me from the requirements of the law and placing your Spirit in my heart to help me be more than I could ever be trying to obey the law. In Jesus' name, I praise you. Amen.
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Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Tuesday, July 6, 2004
"God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him....."
"O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is...."
"[After the return of the people of Judah from Babylon, this is what the Lord said about them,] "They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear...."
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