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 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. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. 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.

I like the shows where things are rebuilt: An old house is gutted and completely redesigned and redone, or an old truck is given a facelift, with a new motor, new interior, new paint job. These shows are fun because something that was also dead, surely on its last leg, is brought back to life.

In the previous verse in Romans 8, it says that we were dead in our trespasses and sin. Our lives were decaying into the dark hole that sin makes. We were without hope for eternity, and without hope for a fulfilled life.

Then came Jesus, with his sacrifice on the cross paying the price for our sins. He made a way where there was no way to relationship with God before. Why? Because we all sin. And he gave his true followers his Spirit inside their hearts as a guide.

Once we lived in a state of fear and sin. Now we live in a state of confidence, goodness, and life.

And not only this, those who wholeheartedly follow Jesus are called sons and daughters of the King! He adopted us into his family. We call God, “Father”. And as children we have what good parents leave their kids — an inheritance. Our inheritance is not an earthly house or car or a bank account of money, it is a passport to the greatest and most amazing kingdom ever — Heaven!

In response to this great present and future place in God’s family, his love, and his protection of our hearts, we are called and have the privilege of sharing in the sufferings of Jesus. It is a privilege for a few reasons: 1) we love him and share burdens as the body of Christ, 2) when we share in the sufferings, we get to feel the closeness we gain in obedience to God, and 3) we also gain heavenly rewards, sharing with Jesus in these. “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭11‬)

Quite a change of eternal position, I say! In obedience to God by following Jesus and receiving his gift of salvation, I am grafted into the family of God, given new life and a heavenly inheritance (which blows the socks off of any worldly one ever imagined) and I get to go on a Godly adventure sharing in Christ’s sufferings and reaping heavenly rewards.

Lord, thank you for this wonderful life you have given me. It grows in aliveness and vibrancy each day I live. Fill me today with your grace and truth and give me boldness to share the beauty of my life with you to all those around me!