Romans 8:1 - There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

This devotion pairs with this weekend's Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lutheranhour.org.

A married couple, just married, just returning from their honeymoon, decided to visit each of their families. The first week, they stayed with the bride's parents. The bride's parents lived in a mansion, with a staff of maids and butlers, chefs and gardeners. The next week, they stayed with the husband's parents, who lived in a small and simple house, on a farm in the country. After dinner, at the end of the first day, when they were sitting by themselves on the old porch swing, the young bride broke into tears. "What's wrong?" her husband asked her. She answered, "With my family, when they're nice to you, you feel like you've passed their test. With your family, there is no test."

I don't remember where I heard that story, but it captures a key difference between two mindsets described in Paul's letter to the Christ-followers in Rome. One is the mindset of the "flesh." The other is the mindset of the "Spirit." The mindset of the flesh is our natural pattern of thinking, stuck with two facts of life. The first is that we are constantly judged by others (human judgment is harsh enough, so we can leave God's judgment out of it for a moment). The second fact is that we are going to die. These two facts constantly test us. Am I living up to their standards? Will I accomplish something worthy or become someone worthy before I die? This life comes at you like a severe set of in-laws, trying to decide how much they like you. And we naturally respond with the mindset of the flesh. Our thoughts center on ourselves—on our performance or our improvement. We try to pass the test.

The mindset of the Spirit is different. It's not natural. It comes from outside of us, given as a gift, through God's promise in Jesus. This promise has been carried to us in the account recorded in the Bible. The Bible narrates how this test has been put to us by God Himself. God tests us, not to see if He likes us, but because He likes us, because He loves us. The test is God's judgment on the lives we try to lead in rebellion against Him, independent from Him. God gives the test, not so that we will give it our best shot, but so that we would give up on our self-reliance and rely on Him instead. So, He sent His Son, Jesus, into the test with us, and to take it further—to suffer the ultimate separation from God we would all choose, left to ourselves. On the cross, God put this warped form of life to death forever. And when Jesus rose from the dead, He opened a new way for us, a new life, a new mindset.

The flesh's way of thinking tells you that you'll be worthy if you pass the test. But God's Spirit shows you that you already bombed it (worse than you thought!), but also that you're loved better than you ever imagined. When you were baptized, you died with Jesus. The old way of thinking is dead. You are God's child now. Nothing will change how He feels about you. There is no more condemnation, no more test.

WE PRAY: Dear Father, thank You for making me Your own beloved child. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour.

Reflection Questions:

1. When are you tempted to believe that your worth is dependent on your current performance?

2. When are you tempted to believe that your worth is dependent on your future, personal growth?

3. Since your worth is in Christ, where is God giving you more freedom to grow in Christ-likeness?

Today's Bible Readings: Amos 4-6    Galatians 1

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