Once Dead In Sin, Now Made Alive by God's Spirit | Devotion

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world…”—EPHESIANS 2:1-2

There are three kinds of life on earth; plant, animal and human life. When God created them, he also created a governing force for each of them. 

Plant life simply has a body, and is governed by the seasons. Genesis 8:22 says, “As long as the earth endures, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Animal life has both soul and body with the governing force being like a computer chip we call “instinct”. Every animal is programmed to behave in a certain way. God said to Jeremiah, “Even the stork in the sky knows her appointed seasons and the dove and the swift and thrush observe their time of migration” (Jeremiah 8:7).

What is the governing force in human beings? In the beginning, God created us to be indwelt by His Spirit, and that is the governing force for humanity. But after the fall, God withdrew His Spirit, and consequently, we are all born separated from Him. If a plant loses its seasons, it will die. If an animal loses its instinct, it won’t survive, and without the governing force of the Spirit of God, we are separated from Him and spiritually dead. 

Separated from God, we naturally follow the ways of this world, and remain dead in our transgressions. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” That is present tense; not that we will one day die, but having been separated from God, we are already spiritually dead. The real problem is not what we do, but what we are in our condition as sinners. We are separated from the life of God, which is the root cause of our sin. But in His love for us, God provided a way back to Him through His Son, not only to pay the penalty for our sin, but to be indwelt by Him, thereby becoming spiritually alive. Without that rebirth, our capacity for spiritual life is never anchored, but is continually lost and battered by confusion, frustration and often despair. 

For many people, their spiritual side is what they are least conscious of, but it is that side that is uniquely human. It’s what makes us reach outside of ourselves for answers to questions only humans can ask. What am I here for? Where am I headed? What’s it all about? It is that crucial part of us designed to know God, and be indwelt by Him. His Spirit living in us is the governing force that gives us the capacity to live fulfilled and contentedly, the way God intended.

Dear Lord, make me consciously aware of your presence in me so that I may live every day governed by your Spirit. Thank You, Lord.

Am I bringing the Spirit of Christ into my everyday life?