September 19 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Romans 8:1-17:

¹There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
²For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
³For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
⁴That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
⁵For 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.
⁶For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
⁷Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
⁸So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
⁹But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
¹⁰And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
¹¹But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
¹²Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
¹³For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
¹⁵For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
¹⁶The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
¹⁷And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Devotional

Can we be sure that we are the children of God, and heirs of eternal life? According to the Bible we certainly can. It is the Holy Spirit himself that bears witness to the fact, and surely He does not bear false witness. It is by the Spirit that we cry, Abba Father. If God is our Father, then we are his children. If we are his children, then we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life." John says, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:" and he goes on to say, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." Again he says, "We know that we have passed from death unto life." And this is the record, that God gave of his Son, namely, "that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." There we have the fact clearly stated, We are the children of God. We have everlasting life.

At times Satan may cause us to doubt, and fear may come upon us; but that does not change the fact. Christ says, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand . . . . and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand."

"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchased of God,
Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood."

Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee that Thou hast clearly revealed the way of salvation unto us. We thank Thee that Thou hast not left us in uncertainty as to the hereafter; then we would have to be in doubt and fear our life long. We thank Thee that we have the assurance of a heavenly home, that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a build­ing of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. May we be enabled to travel calmly on, looking forward to the heavenly mansions, where we shall be for ever with the Lord. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Rom. 8:16, 17; John 3:36; 1 John 3:1, 2; 3:14; 1 John 5:10, 11; John 10:28, 29.

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