“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For 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” (KJV, Rom. 8:12-13).
“Therefore, brethren”
Father, I thank You for the work that You have done in my life through the new birth. You have called me to Yourself and drawn me to Jesus. You have brought life out of death and hope out of hopelessness. It is undoubtedly true that with man, salvation is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.
Nicodemus inquired as to how he could be born again. Jesus told Him that the new birth is by the Spirit of God. Thank You for the work of the Spirit. Thank You for sending Your Helper to be with me and help me in this life. I can do no good apart from You working in my life. Without You, all I am is flesh, but with You, I have the Spirit of God and can put to death the deeds of the flesh.
Now that I am in Christ, Your Word tells me I am no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit. This does not mean that I cannot give into the flesh but. Instead, my position has changed, as has the direction of my life. The flesh no longer characterizes my life. Rather, my life is now characterized by the Spirit.
Your Word tells me that if the Spirit of God, Who raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in me, You will also give life to my mortal body through Your Spirit. Thank You for the power of the resurrection and how I have access to the same power through Your Spirit.
However, I see Paul praying for the people of Ephesus. He prayed that they would have their hearts enlightened to know the immeasurable greatness of Your power toward them that believe. He prayed that they would see the power of Christ’s resurrection laid up for them in Christ. Thus, I am convinced that I must understand, believe, and know the power of Christ’s resurrection that is being offered to me if I want to experience it in my life.
“we are debtors”
As a result of Your work in Christ and by the Spirit, I am a debtor to You, God. I could not save myself, but You chose to save me. I cannot sanctify myself. The flesh does not help me; all its efforts will profit nothing. Instead, it is the Spirit Who gives life. Therefore, I am indebted to You.
You have also assured me that in all my ups and downs, in all the trials of life, in all my failures and victories, and even in all my sin and shortcomings, if I am truly born again, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
You have canceled the record of debt that stood against me by nailing it to the cross of Christ. However, let me never believe that I am no longer indebted. I owe You my life, yet You deserve more than that. You have made the way of salvation when there seemed no way. You alone have done it. Therefore, teach me to praise You for Your mighty works.
“not to the flesh, to live after the flesh”
Rid me of anything that is not of You. Teach me to turn from the flesh. The works of the flesh are evident and are seen in the world today. The enemy has come to steal, kill, and destroy. He found his foothold in the Garden, and since then, the works of the flesh have been destroying humanity.
Teach me not to live after the flesh. Convict me of sin and bless me with the miraculous gift of repentance. Your Word tells me that repentance is a gift. May I never take sin lightly and assume that I will always repent when I want to. Repentance is brought about first and foremost by Your Spirit. May I never quench the Spirit’s work and abuse Your grace.
In the book of Romans, I am told of people Who knew You but did honor You as God or give thanks to You. As a result, their foolish hearts became darkened. They exchanged the glory of God for a lie and worshiped Your creation instead of You.
Then the words of Scripture are rather startling. You said that You gave them over to their flesh. You gave them what they wanted, and there is no reason for me to assume they were ever given the grace to turn back. May I take every bit of grace You give me and cherish it. May I guard the deposit that You have entrusted to me.
“For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die”
Herein I see the warning of Scripture. The outcome of life after the flesh is death. Some things never change. You told Adam in the Garden that if he were to eat from the fruit of the tree, he would die. Immediately after he ate the fruit, he died spiritually. Then the curse came in which You numbered his days. Adam inevitably returned to the dust.
Life after the flesh always results in death. Even as a believer, I must never assume that because the Spirit of God is in me, I will not experience spiritual death if I choose to sin. You have given me life in Christ, and I have been born again to a living hope. But I must abide in Christ and stay near to Jesus for the life of Christ to manifest in mine.
“but if ye through the Spirit”
The Spirit of God has been sent to help me. You have called the Spirit my Helper and Comforter. He is also the One Who works within me to will and to do for His good pleasure. While the people in the Old Testament had a measure of the Spirit, the work of the Spirit came in power in the New Testament.
At Pentecost, You poured out Your Spirit and filled the believers who were waiting for You. They became less, and you became greater in their life. The Spirit of God transformed Peter from a fearful man to a bold witness for Christ unto His death.
While Peter feared crucifixion when Jesus died, tradition states that he died on an upside-down cross at the end of his life. He was filled with holiness, and that came by way of You. Father, I pray for more of Your Spirit and that by the Spirit, I would be transformed much like that of Peter.
“do mortify the deeds of the body”
Your Word tells me that I must mortify and put to death the deeds of the body by Your Spirit. Thus, the only way I will ever triumph over sin is by Your Spirit. It is Your Spirit Who makes the life of Christ effectual in my life. By Your Spirit, I am united to my Savior and given the precious sap from the Vine.
Paul tells me that when I walk by the Spirit, I will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Then he tells me about the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But the fruit is not my fruit. It is the Spirit’s fruit. I need the Spirit of God to increase in my life, and by the Spirit working, I will put the deeds of the flesh to death.
“ye shall live”
Only by the Spirit and His work in my life will I live. Life does not come without change. Eternal life is being made holy, sinless, and living in Your presence. Thus, the more I am made holy, delivered from the power of sin, and abide in Your presence, the more I will experience true life.
Father, I pray that You would pour out Your Spirit in my life this day. I need more of You and less of me. Help me stay near to You and not quench the Spirit’s work in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.