The Mind Of the
Spirit
We know that all that
God created has been groaning. It is in pain as if it were giving birth to a
child. The created world continues to groan even now. And that's not all. We
have the Holy Spirit as the promise of future blessing. But we also groan
inside ourselves as we look forward to the time when God will adopt us as full
members of his family. Then he will give us everything he has for us. He will
raise our bodies and give glory to them.
That's the hope we
had when we were saved. But hope that can be seen is no hope at all. Who hopes
for what he already has? We hope for what we don't have yet. So we are patient
as we wait for it.
In the same way, the
Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don't know what we should pray for.
But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays with groans too deep for words.
God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit
prays for God's people just as God wants him to pray.
We
know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. He
appointed them to be saved in keeping with his purpose.
God planned that
those he had chosen would become like his Son. In that way, Christ will be the
first and most honored among many brothers. And those God has planned for, he has also appointed to be saved. Those he has
appointed, he has made right with himself. To those he has made right with
himself, he has given his glory.
Romans
8:22-30
Have you ever looked
at the artwork created by origami – the art of folding paper? We are like
origami. We have been refashioned from a simple piece of paper into a beautiful
new form. God shapes us. First, He uses circumstances to bring us to our knees
and to Him. Then, by grace, He continues to use life’s twists and turns to
reshape us into more Christlike persons.
Has your life taken
an unexpected turn? In the hands of our Creator and Redeemer, we are created in
Jesus Christ. We are His unfinished works of art. God can use the twists and
turns in our lives to make us more like His Son.
Christians
are God’s works in progress.
Our Daily Bread –