Meditation: Romans 8:12 So then, brothers, we don’t owe a thing to our old nature that would require us to live according to our old nature. 13 For if you live according to your old nature, you will certainly die; but if, by the Spirit, you keep putting to death the practices of the body, you will live.
14 All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit, who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, “Abba!” (that is, “Dear Father!”). 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirits that we are children of God; 17 and if we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with the Messiah — provided we are suffering with him in order also to be glorified with him.
30th Week in Ordinary Time
You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, ”Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15)
Hang on a second. The opposites of slavery and fear are freedom and courage; so shouldn’t Paul be saying we receive those spirits instead of a “spirit of adoption”? He starts off today’s reading talking about bondage to sin and goes on to warn against letting that take a hold of us and drag us into fear. What does adoption have to do with any of that?
Everything! Our freedom from slavery doesn’t come from our hard work. The chains of sin are too strong for us to break on our own. Likewise, our courage doesn’t come from an excess of grit and determination, as if we could banish fear simply by wishing it away. Both of these blessings come from our identity in the Lord. We know that we belong to him, and that knowledge sets us free and encourages us. So it’s totally appropriate to contrast adoption with slavery and fear.
You have probably seen a child stumble or be startled by an intimidating new encounter with a stranger or a barking dog. Instinctively, that child will call out for his or her parents. This is the kind of instinct that the Holy Spirit places in our hearts. Paul talks about how the Spirit within us is the One who remembers that our Father will listen to us. So if you are attentive to the Spirit, you’ll remember to call out to God for help whenever you feel threatened, weary, or scared.
With a Father who is the Creator of the universe, a brother who is the Savior of all people, and a spiritual family that is spread throughout the world, you are in a good place to face up to fear! Of course, knowing these things doesn’t make fear instantly disappear. But the Holy Spirit is in you, reminding you of your status as God’s son or daughter. Remember to tune in to the witness of the Spirit, so that every day you can become more deeply aware of your adoption—and more free and courageous as a result.
“Holy Spirit, thank you for calling me a child of God! Remind me today to live with the confidence and freedom of one adopted into his family.” Amen!
Psalms 68:2 (1) Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;
let those who hate him flee from his presence.
4 (3) But let the righteous rejoice and be glad in God’s presence;
yes, let them exult and rejoice.
6 (5) God in his holy dwelling,
is a father to orphans and defender of widows.
7 (6) God gives homes to those who are alone
and leads prisoners out into prosperity.
But rebels must live in a parched wasteland.
20 (19) Blessed be Adonai!
Every day he bears our burden,
does God, our salvation. (Selah)
21 (20) Our God is a God who saves;
from Adonai Adonai comes escape from death.
Luke 13:10 Yeshua was teaching in one of the synagogues on Shabbat. 11 A woman came up who had a spirit which had crippled her for eighteen years; she was bent double and unable to stand erect at all. 12 On seeing her, Yeshua called her and said to her, “Lady, you have been set free from your weakness!” 13 He put his hands on her, and at once she stood upright and began to glorify God.
14 But the president of the synagogue, indignant that Yeshua had healed on Shabbat, spoke up and said to the congregation, “There are six days in the week for working; so come during those days to be healed, not on Shabbat!” 15 However, the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Each one of you on Shabbat — don’t you unloose your ox or your donkey from the stall and lead him off to drink? 16 This woman is a daughter of Avraham, and the Adversary kept her tied up for eighteen years! Shouldn’t she be freed from this bondage on Shabbat?” 17 By these words, Yeshua put to shame the people who opposed him; but the rest of the crowd were happy about all the wonderful things that were taking place through him.
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