Unashamed Reading Plan
Check out all the previous Unashamed readings here.
Unashamed Reading Plan | Week 8 | Day 2
Prayer
Allow some silence for your soul to catch up with your body. Thank God for time to spend with Him and ask Him to meet with you.
Bible Reading: Romans 8:5-11
Read these verses three times slowly.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Reflection & Questions
In today’s verses, Paul contrasts living by the Spirit with living by the flesh. He paints a vivid picture of what the two ways lead to.
To live by the flesh (the natural corrupted self), leads to a mind dominated by what the flesh wants, being hostile to God and unable to please Him – it is death. This is where we all were at without the Spirit in us. It might have been in bad behavior (like hurting others) or in good behavior (trying to please God by keeping the Ten Commandments), but either way, we were living “in the flesh.” It was about us and gratifying our desires.
To live by the Spirit, is to have your mind set on “what the Spirit desires.” Now, we can please God, for His Spirit in us shows us. And this leads to “life and peace” – the eternal life we are promised to come, and the peace we have now, knowing that our sin has been dealt with and new life is to come. Our bodies will still die “because of sin” but we will live forever, because the Spirit who lives forever is in us.
It is so important for the Christian to understand that the Holy Spirit is in them. He is a deposit, showing us we will live forever. He is a gift of peace now. He is a guide to help us please God. There is no Christian without the Holy Spirit and no living the Christian life without Him. He is essential. Let’s pay attention to Him.
Prayer
Talk to God in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Bible Reading: Romans 8:5-11
Read these verses three times slowly.
Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Reflection & Questions
Today’s verses show a comparison between two types of people. Those who live however they want to live (who could care less about God) and those who are living with the Holy Spirit as their guide.
Those who live “according to their flesh,” (in other words, they do whatever feels good to them to do), only think about what makes them happy. Their minds are taken over by more and more selfish thinking and become opposed to God, they will not follow His laws (which were made for our safety), and they cannot please God (because they are so focused on pleasing themselves doing whatever they want!) These people do not belong to Christ.
Those who have the Holy Spirit living within them are constantly thinking about what Jesus would want them to do. He points them in the right direction. Their minds are at peace. They have been given life, ETERNAL life! The Holy Spirit gives life because of the righteousness given to us by Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Those who have the Spirit of life within them will one day join God in heaven!
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God.He is a guide to help us please God. He plays an important part in the life of a Christian so make sure you are listening for and paying attention to what He is telling you.
- Do you believe the Holy Spirit is living within you? Why or why not?
Pray
If you do not have the Holy Spirit living within you, ask God to send Him into your life so that He will guide you. If you do have the Holy Spirit living within you, thank God for the awesome gift!
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
