Bible Chapter: Romans 8

Because the Bible is practical, here are some statements to get you thinking.

1.  Write one or two key thoughts that come from today’s reading.
    What an amazing beginning to this chapter.  For all who have the genuine personal relationship with Jesus that the Bible describes, they will live without condemnation.  Wow!!!  When believers live daily by following the Spirit and not their fleshly desires they live delivered from the bondage of condemnation.  Those in right relationship with Jesus live without the destructive power of guilt.  Jesus came to set us free from that overbearing burden of looming eternal punishment.  Many will push that thought out of their minds and believe that everyone is headed to eternity with Jesus no matter what they do or how they live their daily lives.  Instead of playing that game, believers have the solid promise from God.
    Another important principle for daily living is to set our minds on the things of the Spirit and live according to the directives of the Spirit of God speaking to us.  The carnal mind is death.  The spiritual mind (according to Biblical principles) is life and peace.  A good question to ask is; “do I want death or life and peace?”  I must remember that the carnal mind is an enemy of God.
    When I live according to the Bible and the directives of the Holy Spirit I have a solid assurance of God’s love and power in my life.  Who or what can separate me from the love of Jesus?  Nothing.  There is quite a list here of things that people deal with that seem to pull us away from God, and yet the Bible says these cannot take us away from the love of God.  This should be a great encouragement.  All the problems in the world can cause people to live in stress, but none of them can separate me from God’s love.  In all of these things, with God’s power active in my life, I can be more than a conqueror.  That gives great hope.

2.  What can I apply in my life from the reading?
    How does a person know that they really have been forgiven and entered into a real relationship with Jesus?  Verse 16 tells us that the Spirit bears witness that we are the children of God.  We can feel, we can sense the truth and reality of the relationship we have with Jesus in our hearts.  In a similar way that we feel the positive benefits of human relationships, we feel love and compassion, we can feel the love of God carrying us through the details of life.  The Spirit gives witness that we ARE the children of God.
    The Spirit also helps us when we don’t know how to pray.  Praying in the Spirit gives power to our prayers.  The Holy Spirit intercedes and gives power to our prayers.

3.  How can I help someone?
    It seems that our society no longer grasps the principles of living according to God’s directives and rejecting the pull of the fleshly mind. The more I can help people see that, and their need to submit to Jesus in a real personal relationship, the more I can be a positive impact on the world.