Mission Faithwalk

                 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:31-32)                 Who can be against us? That question has always baffled me. If God is for us, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the angels, and the cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) are all for us. Those are obvious. So is the answer to the question. Who? Lucifer and all his buddies,  the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12), Add to those all the people who have been taught to hate us, and perhaps worst of all, us. Granted, none of those are as great as those who are for us, but that’s the answer to “who can b...

                   And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30) And the image of a father continues. Fathers are supposed to work for the good of their families. If a son or daughter disowns and hates a father, and specifically works against the father’s goals, it would be normal for the father to stop fixing everything for the child, to allow the child to go off and return like the man in the story of the Prodigal Son. Those who remain, fathers, will teach to be the best they can be according to whatever model they deem appropriate. And those who work within those principle...

                 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God . (Romans 8:26-27) Continuing the line of thought from the past couple of days, when a good father  is allowing a child to struggle or even suffer a little because it will help the child, what does the father do? I’ve seen reels  on social media of fathers who seemingly aren’t paying attention catching a falling child, or grabbing something  that would either hurt the child, or that the child knocked over. The old standby for this is the father holding the bike up and running alongside while the kid learns how to pedal and balance the bike. Then, of course, there is the father that taunts or coaxes his ch...

                 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.   For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:18-25) Ve...

            For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:14-17) So, the Spirit gives us life. But wait! There’s more! God doesn’t say, “OK, you’re alive, now you’re on your own.” God doesn’t say, “Kneel, slave.” He says, “You are now My child.” We get to answer with “Abba, Father.”  Can you imagine? Let’s put it in more human terms. What if Elon Musk, Bill Gates, or some other very wealthy, powerful celebrity you like shows up on your door and says, “You’re now my child”? For the sake of argume...

                   And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of [ a ] his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. (Romans 8:11-12) So, we conclude this piece of Paul’s argument: if we live according to the flesh, we’ll die, but if we live according to the spirit, we’ll live. So, let’s apply some logic. If you knew that having a relationship with someone was going to result in your murder by that person, what sense of obligation would you feel to that person? Would a relationship with that person be wise? Healthy? When it comes to our relationships with ourselves, is it any wiser or healthier to behave as if we are obligated to do what our flesh tells us to? Think about it. Our flesh pushes us to do things that aren’t goo...