Author: Danny Panter

Re:Verse passage – Romans 14:17-19 (day six)

The kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink… Romans 14:17

“I’m more concerned with what comes out of your mouth than what you put in your mouth.”-Jesus, Matthew 15:10-11 (my own paraphrase)

We can make such ado out of the most insignificant things (what we wear, eat, drink…); building our own little kingdoms around matters that have very little to do with God’s. As lord’s of our own kingdoms, we tend to pass judgment rather than build alliances. We dig moats and draw bridges, rather than avenues for peace.

One is the work of the flesh…the other of the Spirit.

Pursue the latter, abandon the former.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:26-27 (day six)

…the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. Romans 8:27

This is a Trinitarian text. It captures the heart and mystery of the union of the Father, Son, and the Spirit…harmony. James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, “you don’t have because you don’t ask, and when you do, you ask with the wrong motives.” That’s the opposite of harmony; the Spirit never asks with the wrong motives, only ones in perfect alignment with the Father’s will.

Listen, when the Spirit pleads for us, the Father’s answer is always, always,

“Yes…my will be done.”

Why? Because of Trinitarian harmony. In all  life’s bumps and bruises this side of eternity,

our weaknesses (vs. 26), or what we suffer now (vs. 18), 

the Spirit asks and acts to fulfill the Father’s will, His Son-exalting, Jesus-conforming will.

Can’t think of a greater guarantee than that. I can hold on to that, even when I can’t see or feel what God is doing,

especially when life hurts the most. Harmony.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:5-11 (day six)

“I am the way, the truth, and the life…”-Jesus

New faith inaugurates a new journey, a new way. Just like Jesus, we are led by the Spirit of life into the desert of the world. With new ways of beholding and rejoicing in truth, and loving, and living, a new identity emerges, or should I say is realized.

Up until the moment Jesus returns, when even our bodies are made new and glorious in freedom, that’s our journey this side of eternity. Walking, even running at times, but not on our own, the Spirit seals, and prompts, and gifts; shaping new thoughts, rejoicing in new things, fulfilling new purpose.

We are the children of God, clothed in the very righteousness of Jesus, that’s for certain, but with every Spirit led step and thought, the more of His righteousness we will actually see take shape.

That’s journey; that’s the way. By the Spirit, let’s walk in it.

Re:Verse passage – Romans 8:1-4 (day six)

The law turned us into rebels, or rather the power of sin did, taking advantage of the law. The law made it personal. No longer were we committing moral wrongs arbitrarily, we were willfully sinning against a personal and holy God. So overrun by the power of sin, we were as good as dead; walking corpses.

And the law could do nothing about it. Left to the law, shackled by the power of sin, we are nothing but dead rebels.

So, God did what the law could not do, He sent His own Son.

“I am the resurrection and the life,” he said.

“Come out of that grave,” he said.

And the dead rebels breathed and rejoiced.

Re:Verse passage – Acts 1:8 (day six)  

We are superhuman. More than we were, decrypted, left-for-dead; Jesus came just at the right time, rescuing us from our god-loathing, self-righteous, self-indulgent ways. His holy-Father loving, righteous living became our own when he crushed sin’s hold, and gave us His life instead. So that we might become the righteousness of God.

It wasn’t enough for us to look the part, so He made us superhuman; He put the Holy Spirit in us. The very same that hovered over the deep in creation. Or gave Samson his strength. Or Isaiah his words to speak. And through and through the Spirit empowers us to live and love like the Son. So, when He commands us to “Go, fill the earth with my glory; be my witnesses,” it is as good as done.

Superhuman.

Re:Verse passage – John 1:29-34 (day six)

He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. John 16:14

Last week I wrote that perhaps the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is His gift of conviction. It’s true of course, but conviction of sin, among other of His gifts (i.e spiritual gifts), only serve His greater purpose:

I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ John 1:33

John’s testimony sheds light on the Holy Spirit’s most magnificent job, to manifest the glory of the Son! To put the spotlight on Jesus. To tell the whole world, “This is the guy!”

Makes me thankful!

¹¹ So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything,…  Mark 11:11

Perhaps the greatest gift of the Holy Spirit is conviction of sin. Before Jesus cursed the fig tree, and before he cleansed the temple, he came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple, observing and taking everything into account.

What Jesus did for Jerusalem and the Temple, the Holy Spirit does for the Christian. He observes, and after taking everything into account, exposes our own idolatry, sometimes harshly.

Conviction. Not always pleasant, but nonetheless it is the gracious work of the Holy Spirit. It is also grace that He not only graciously exposes our sin, but also is the gracious means to put it to death.

…if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. Romans 8:13

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day six)

A voice crying in the wilderness…Isaiah 40:3

Our sin got us kicked out of the garden and into the wilderness. Chaos, disorder, brokenness, and a terrible curse were chains we carried as we traversed the soul sucking terrain-wilderness. 

And yet even before the beginning God planned to make a way for us to return to the promise land, and not for just a season but for all time; leading us out of the wilderness into the land of promise, righteousness forevermore.

It would take the Father-sent Son, sent into the wilderness to die and rise again, breaking the chains and forging a new path for whomever saw the wilderness for what it was and ventured to follow Him. And like the pillar of fire by night, and cloud by day, the Jesus-sent Holy Spirit would lead from the tabernacle of the human heart; testifying:

Welcome home. These are the children of God.