Two spirits

Romans 8:15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" We can draw much encouragement today from Paul’s contrast between two spirits: the spirit of slavery and the spirit of adoption. When we were slaves of sin, we were controlled by a spirit of slavery. Do you remember? We were constantly afraid because we sinned and fell short of the glory of God. We knew we should be rejected, condemned and punished. We lived under the dark shadow of death. Paul made it clear that God didn’t give us that spirit of slavery and fear. As sons and daughters of God, when He gave us the Holy Spirit, He gave us a spirit of adoption. That spirit recognizes God as our father. It is a spirit of acceptance, forgiveness, and steadfast love, a spirit of belonging. The adopted child should certainly feel obligated to put away the old life of an orphan and feel that they owe their new father great honor, allegiance, gratitude, and love. They must learn to live by a new reality: They have a loving father whom they are to call, “Father.” Paul said that it is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life in Christ, who gives us the spirit of adoption that leads us to put to death the deeds of the body and to cry out, “Abba, Father!” This cry rises from deep within our souls as we realize our great need and our great privilege. We are chosen, accepted, and loved in Christ, so we are confident that everything God, our Father, is and has is available to us. In God, our Father, through Jesus Christ, His Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we find satisfaction for our souls that we cannot find anywhere else or in anyone else. The love of Jesus flows out of this fullness to those God puts in our lives. He loves them like He loves us. We are testimonies of the love of the Father for His own. So today, let us live in the fullness of the spirit of adoption, sharing freely the love we have received, and remember, we are no longer under the spirit of slavery and fear. Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com