Listening To The Spirit With Our Spirit

SCRIPTURE:  Romans 8:15-18 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father." 16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. 17 And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. 18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.

Observation: The last couple of days I have been blogging about how that walking in desparate, close fellowship with God, throwing ourselves on His grace, is the only way that we can stay free from sin's attachment. In this scripture Paul gives us a some encouragement and hope. We are not alone, even in the "pursuing" process. There is a Spirit that lives inside of us that is constantly reminding us that God has adopted us and, more than that, He is our near and dear, intimate "Abba Father", "Daddy God". Our job is simply to respond to the call of that Spirit in us.

Will this keep us from suffering? Apparently not. Here we learn that sharing the life of Jesus with Him is also sharing in His suffering. When we love someone for His sake and they reject us, we share in His sufferings. When someone rips us off and we accept it and love in return, we share in His sufferings. When we resist sin, even when it feels almost like physical pain to say "no", we are sharing in His sufferings.

The good news is that suffering works in us "a greater weight of glory." It makes us better people, if we let it.

Application/Confession: I have been guilty of ignoring that voice in my spirit that calls me to "slow down" "come closer" or even, "stay away from that junk". I want to learn to be more and more responsive to the Spirit in me drawing me closer to Him. What a wonderful thought: the Holy Spirit lives in me. I never want to offend Him or shut Him down.

PRAYER: By Your Spirit, draw me closer Lord. I hear You saying; "come and be with Me." May I always respond, "Lord I am coming."