But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:22-23 ESV
Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 ESV
Last week, I got a much-needed new phone. It worked great except for one thing: I couldn’t get it to use the alarm tone I have been using for years. Try as I might, I kept waking up to some strange combination of bings and bongs instead of the soothing strains of “smooth jazz.”
Yesterday, my frustration reached a breaking point. I decided that I would have to go to the T-Mobile store for help with this earth-shaking dilemma. Almost as an afterthought, I said, “Lord, show me how to fix this alarm!” That evening I was setting the alarm for 4 AM when I had the thought, “Click on that sentence.” When I did, it opened to the page that allowed me to change to my beloved jazzy wake up. Notice, I had a thought. No voice, no vision, just a “random” idea. The Spirit of life, my life, simply showed me my answer.
Paul gave us some great news. We are freed from sin. Now we’re riding the train that’s carrying us toward holiness. Instead of getting the wages we’ve earned, we have freely received the Spirit who produces life in us. That Spirit of life is part and parcel of who we are because of our identification with Jesus. He is our moment-by-moment contact with God. The Spirit of life is living in me, with me, to guide and direct even when I am not consciously aware of Him. He’s just in there doing His work, and it’s so much a part of my reality, my identity, that I sometimes miss it.
As you head to the gathering of the saints today, stop for a moment to ask for wisdom in the areas of life that are confounding you. No matter how trivial they may seem, the life that is in you is the life of God. The Spirit of life will impart answers. It may not be “Thus saith the Lord.” Sometimes the supernatural is incredibly subtle. Ask, believe, expect, and remember to say, “Thank You,” when you suddenly know what you didn’t know before.
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