Life can seem interruptible. You have a plan but somehow, someway, it gets interrupted. It might be at the doctor’s office with a prognosis of cancer or a mobility limiting chronic illness. Your adult child could walk away from faith or you discover you’ve been let go from your job due to downsizing. In recent days, we have seen violence all around us that changed people’s story. From the very public murder of a national spokesman to the school shootings in Colorado and Minnesota. From the murder of an Ukraine young woman on public transportation to the public hanging of a young college student in Mississippi.
I think about the last verse in Judges in the Old Testament. It says, “In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” I dare say this is where America is right now. Our country does not look to THE King but does what it wants to do. Sin and Satan are prevalent and active.
But the Apostle Paul wants to remind us in Romans 8 that we are different as followers of Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit living in us. So while sin is ever present and we are groaning from the weight of sin and destruction in the world, we will not be crushed since God’s Holy Spirit lives in us.
In fact, Paul says in Romans 8:24-26, that the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. While we may not know what to pray for, He prays for us. While we may lack information on how to move forward, He gives us wisdom. While we may wonder which direction our next step should take us, He will be our compass.
With all the destructive behavior all around us, we can forget about the power that lives within us to move forward in positive and loving ways. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 4:22-24, “…throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” As followers of Jesus, we want to embrace our new self.
And did you know the whole world is waiting for you to take your place? The very power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you (Romans 8:11). So, we’ll take courage amid the sin around us and live boldly, proclaiming life in Jesus is a better choice. A life that is full of love, compassion, joy, peace, forgiveness, goodness…that’s how the Holy Spirit transforms us when we surrender to Jesus.
And the whole world is waiting for you to become who you were created to be. It desperately needs something different than what our enemy has been offering. Not only does the world wait on you but so does your spouse, your kids, your neighbor, your church, your workplace. Real followers of Jesus become thermostats, changing the environment of the room for good.
Through the adoption into the family of God, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and our follower-ship of Jesus, you and I can help make this world a better place….a different place. That’s the call today: become who you were created to be. In Christ, God works all things out for the good. Blessings on the journey.