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The Ridgeline Blog

Romans 8 Monday Meditation

I often fail to meditate on passages before and after great verses. Most people know John 3:16 but fewer know the beauty and power of John 3:17-18. Sometimes these great verses stick out like an enormous mountain that can overpower a landscape and cause us to miss other impressive mountains around it. That's often the case with the Bible. It's easy to get overwhelmed at the clarity and power of a single verse and miss the majesty of passages nearby.

I was struck this morning by Romans 8:5-11. I've always loved Romans 8:1 and it often holds my attention when I'm in that neighborhood. But today I was captivated by verse 5-11. Take a minute to read and reflect today:

Romans 8:5-11

[5] For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. [6] For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. [7] For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. [8] Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

[9] You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. [10] But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. [11] If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (ESV)