01
Spirit Lead Me
Tim Savage24Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?25Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. Romans 7
5Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.6So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
28And we know that God causes everything to work togetherfor the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
38And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. Romans 8
So many great lessons from this morning’s reading. I can relate to Paul when he says that he is a terrible person because he knows what to do but does the opposite. I’ve been there too many times and I’m hopeful only because Paul has the courage to share that with us. Paul – he who was miraculously saved on the road to Damascus, he who wrote most of the New Testament, he who God used mightily for the kingdom – he struggled to do the right thing. It doesn’t come naturally, my natural tendency is to satisfy my impulses, cravings, desires: I am selfish and impatient. But letting the Holy Spirit control me leads to pleasing my Heavenly Father, joy and peace.
God doesn’t expect me to be perfect. I am destined to fail, but He offers grace and forgiveness that makes me want to follow Him more closely. I must let the Holy Spirit lead me; I must pause and listen closely for His prompting, then the hard part, follow His direction and instruction. The beautiful reward for this is that God gives me the desires of my heart, but in a Christ-honoring and life-giving way. The promise of verse 28 is my joy and sustenance – nothing, nothing, nothing can separate us from God’s love. And it’s because of this that I must live my life to please God, letting the Holy Spirit guide and direct me to His perfect will.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for loving us so lavishly when we cannot ever earn it. Thank You for the free gift of salvation that was bought with Your Son’s life. I’m grateful that You are all-powerful and Jesus lives. Forgive me when I fall and let You down. Please lead me so that I may live a life pleasing to You.
In Jesus name,
Amen
