A short series on Romans 8 – 11. Part 8.
Yesterday we did something incredibly important. We participated in the launch of two radically new mRNA vaccines by receiving our first shots. After weeks of striving to sign up, all of a sudden the Lord provided two slots conveniently close to our home. The hospital pursued us. In we went.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Those who sequenced the genes in SARS-CoV-2 began their work approximately a decade ago. These vaccines have been at least ten to twelve years in the making.
In the providence of God, all of this scientific effort was ready and waiting to serve our need when COVID-19 attacked our planet in Hubei province, China, in December 2019, and then circled the globe.
God works on our behalf. Now we have three vaccines out there, with more coming to help us stop this pandemic. Gifts from God!
God works on our behalf. Now we have three vaccines out there, with more coming to help us stop this pandemic. These vaccines are gifts from God! #StopCOVID #VaccinesWork Click To TweetNot only does God work in global ways, but he also works in personal and private ways. Last week, I wrote about hard hearts. But what about soft hearts, hearts that listen to God, hearts that can be moved to repentance and kindness and mercy? What about them?
How does God soften our hearts?
None of us can love, live, or exist selflessly one hundred percent of the time. We are shot through with sin. Sin leaks out in our emotions, actions, and speech. We can’t eradicate our sins. Therefore, we are not qualified nor capable of the sinlessness necessary to enter the presence of a holy God. The first three chapters of Romans define this with convicting purpose.
How can our lost and sinful selves come to know the God who loves us enough to die for us, to heal us, and to save us?
God initiates. He pursues us.
His Holy Spirit begins the slow but steady work of softening our hearts, making us aware of our harmful and selfish deeds, convicting us. When we recognize our inability to even be kind, patient, and consistently loving with our family members, we turn and go the other way. This is repentance.
We know we’ve done wrong, and so we humble ourselves, asking for mercy, for we are flawed to the core. We yield our lives to God, entering into a covenant of love. We become his.
“And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood“(Romans 3:22b-25a NLT — This is the Gospel).
"For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24 NLT). #JesusSaves Click To Tweet
As Peter stated in his first sermon, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 NIV).
With the Holy Spirit’s enablement, we turn from our sins, sincerely asking for forgiveness and cleansing from these iniquities that inhabit our hearts and minds. We yield our lives to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit begins remaking us. We learn that the sooner we confess our sins to him, the softer our hearts become, making us able to recognize his gentle nudges sooner.
“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).
We do battle with our old nature, our sinful tendencies, our long-held flaws. Slowly these release grow weaker as we conquer them in Christ. We cry out, asking for his mercy and help to become a kinder, more loving self. Gradually, we change. Our words become considerate, our actions gentle. Our lies diminish. This is our sanctification, our transformation, a lifetime of spiritual and personal growth.
We do battle with our old nature, our sinful tendencies, our long-held flaws. Slowly these grow weaker as we conquer them in Christ. We cry out, asking for his help to become a kinder, more loving self. #JesusSaves Click To TweetThis is how a soft heart is made. This is how a soft heart is maintained.
Even though we will not ever do this perfectly, we will grow with God’s help. Jesus will never give up on us, for we are his.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4 ESV).
Though we may sin in thought, word, and deed, still we are no longer found guilty. We are not condemned to failure. God’s forgiveness flows like a mighty river overflowing its banks, wildly leaping out to sweep along everything into its path, washing it all away.
We are not condemned to failure. God's forgiveness flows like a mighty river overflowing its banks, wildly leaping out to sweep along everything into its path, washing it all away. #JesusSaves Click To Tweet
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Period.
We have been liberated from a state of calamity and death, released from an eternal darkness spent apart from God. We couldn’t free ourselves. The law couldn’t set us free, for we cannot keep it perfectly. And so, Jesus came to do that on our behalf. He lived a perfect life, and he died a sinless death, thereby condemning sin and fulfilling the law on our behalf.
When we walk according to the Spirit, our softened hearts repent, turning around more quickly when we are convicted of wrongdoing.
“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” (Romans 8:5-8 ESV).
Our minds aren’t set on pleasing the world system, on living by our culture’s dictates. No, our minds are set on living according to God’s standard of love, kindness, mercy, and forgiveness.
Our growth is bumpy and messy, but with the Spirit’s help and enablement, we seek to please God, rather than the desires of our bodies and minds and wills — our flesh.
“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.” (Romans 8:9-10 ESV).
How does one who is indwelt by the Spirit of Jesus live? Not according to sinful desires. Not according to the whims of our tendency to sin. Sin gave us a death sentence, but God’s forgiveness produces a lifetime of growth in kindness and obedience to God and his ways. No matter how many times we must confess our sins, turn from them again, and get back up to live as we should, we will grow in godliness and kindness.
Time in the Word of God is essential here, for it keeps us on course.
“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” (Romans 8:11 ESV).
"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" (Romans 8:11 ESV). #JesusSaves Click To TweetDeath has been on our minds this past year, because of this pandemic. But consider that death is the end of the road for all of us. One of the glorious promises of life for those who loves Jesus is that not only does he help us to overcome the harmful ways that we live, but he also gives us eternal life.
One of the glorious promises of life for those who loves Jesus is that not only does he help us to overcome the harmful ways that we live, but he also gives us eternal life. #JesusSaves Click To TweetWe were aware of life and death when we received our vaccinations. Though none of us know when or how we will die, the hope for more days flooded our hearts as we received those first shots. We gave thanks and praise to God for the potential of more church life, more family, and a more active and vibrant life after an entire year of remaining locked down.
Thank God that the One who was raised from the dead will give us a truly glorious life when we draw our last breaths. We will leave our bodies and walk right into his arms. These are all the treasures we have in Christ Jesus.
Do you know Christ Jesus as your Savior?
Are you wondering how you can come to know Christ?
Have you struggled during this pandemic?
How can I pray for you in your spiritual journey?
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I’m SOOO happy you got your vaccination!!!!
I love this piece, Melinda.
In Jesus, we have a new chance. Every single one of us CAN turn back to God, genuinely repent, and try our best to live brand-new in Him no matter what we’ve done.
Thanks, Jessica! We were so relieved to get in after trying so many different wait lists. It really was an answer to prayer. I love how this vaccination shows us the sovereign kindness of God. Ten years ago, the scientists put it together. They didn’t know what was coming, but God did. He used it for our good, just as he uses all the circumstances of our lives to, as you stated, turn us back to him, bring genuine repentance, and make us brand new. I love how you put that, sister!
So very true! You can have a brand new car but if u don’t have the keys… Your not really going anywhere unless you push it…the Holy Spit IS having the keys!
That’s a practical word picture, Terri! The Holy Spirit is also the gas in the tank and the repair-and-towing agreement for when the car breaks down, runs out of fuel, or leaves you stranded somewhere dangerous.
Great comeback ☺️
Good post Melinda and I am thankful you were able to get the vaccine.
Thanks, Yvonne! It’s a cause for great rejoicing at our house for sure.
Two short but powerful sentences:
“God initiates. He pursues us.”
And they make a world of eternal difference!
Yes, I agree, Ava! That makes ALL the difference. We’re not left trying to figure out how to find him. He does all the heavy lifting. He initiates. He pursues us. Without that reality, we are lost.
Monday is the day we can start signing up for our vaccinations here in SC. Hubby and I had to wait to be in this group. I am thankful God helps us overcome harmful things. I am thankful for His love and forgiveness. I pray my heart will be softened in each moment.
Melissa, I hope you get in quickly. That moment of getting our first vaccinations after trying for months to get onto a list somewhere was a gracious gift from God. There it was, an answer to prayer. We were filled with joy, our hearts soft. That is what I want to maintain — a soft heart.
Yay!! So happy to hear you’ve received your first vaccine shot. I, too, am hoping to get one when my category comes up – it will probably be a couple of months down the line still. So, I will continue to wait, trusting God in the process and walking by faith through this world. Thanks for all the great scriptural encouragement in your blog post. Your writing always blesses me!
Lisa, thank you for the kind words! Your writing always blesses me, too, I’m happy to tell you. In the dark of night, I often come over via Twitter and read your content, sharing it in tweets. Insomnia has been part of the pandemic for me, and I’m so very, very glad that we got those first vaccinations! It’s like the beginning of the end of the nightmare. Getting approached by our hospital was a gift from God! We’re so thankful!
Hallelujah! What an encouragement! Sinners to the core, yet God has made a way for us to be with him through the blood of Jesus Christ. Not only that, through His Word and His Spirit, He prunes us and makes us into the image of Christ little by little. His love is not indulgent but purifying. That is real love! Thank you for this beautiful message of forgiveness in Christ! It never gets old.
Melissa, you’re so right! This message never gets old. We can write about it over and over again from one angle or another, from the perspective of one part of Scripture or another, and yet, it is always good, so good! Never old! Never boring! Always refreshing and uplifting and so capable of making us full of gratitude and love for the Savior.
I recently discovered some residual symptoms, post-COVID. Your analogy fits. My body still carries the virus and its effects, even months later. We are shot through with sin in the same way–and so often carrying it within us without realizing it.
Yes, Nancy! Just as those who have had COVID-19 carry its residual effects, so, too, sin lingers and sickens us and wears us down. Without the love of the Savior, his forgiveness, and his reformation of our hearts and minds and actions, we continue to stagger around, sin sick, for we are infested. We need him desperately! Our lives depend on him.
Melinda, glad the Lord never gives up on us as we grow more into the likeness of Christ with His help. It’s the only way to strongly battle our fleshly desires and allow the Holy Spirit to conquer these sinful tendencies in us! So had to wrap our heads around the fact that resurrection power indeed dwells in us! If we know it and we believe it, we just need to access it! Another great word and analogy! Glad you both received vaccines.