Devotion #3: A Child of God

Until I was graduating high school, I did not realize how blessed I was to have two incredibly loving parents. Being called their son was something that I did not appreciate like I should have until adulthood. I know many people who struggled with their parents or have lost their parents. One of those people is my wife, Madison. When she was in high school, her mom sadly passed away suddenly and without warning. She lost an identity that day of being her mother’s daughter. Yet, the strongest thing I have seen in her is her reliance on her identity as a daughter of God. 

Romans 8:12-14 says, “So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” 

Let us look at verses 12 and 13 first. Living “according to the flesh,” meaning choosing our sinful nature over a life honoring the Lord, is something that Paul warns us about because if we choose our flesh, we are choosing a path that leads to death and only death. Yet, the Good News is that when we live “by the Spirit,” we live, and we are children of God, as it says in verse 14. 

1. After reading these verses, how does this change the way you view sin in your life?  

Regardless of our individual upbringing and relationship with our parents, knowing that we, as believers in Christ Jesus, are called children of God puts things into perspective. We know that the Lord will never forsake us, never leave us, and is always there. When reading commentaries on this passage, I read one that said that we have a “holy obligation” to live by the Spirit and not by our flesh. Being a child of God should draw us closer to God and make us want to obey Him because of all He has done for us.  

2. What are some things you know you need to move away from concerning your sinful flesh? 

3. Do you know that you are a child of God, created by Him and loved unconditionally by Him?   Take a moment to reflect on this and go to God in prayer. Thank Him for sending His Spirit so that we may always be pointed back to Him and have the blessing of obeying Him as our Heavenly Father.