You Mean You’re Going to Feed Him?

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. —Romans 8:9, NIV

The rain continued to drizzle outside, and our family of four had been confined together too long. I do not remember the issue that provoked it, but the altercation with my husband ended badly for him, and everyone in the family knew it.

The children and I were upset, and to add to our gloom, we were all hungry—likely a factor in our disagreement. In a household with small children, it is best not to put off dinner, so I turned to the refrigerator. “Honey, would you please set the table?” I asked my daughter. She asked tentatively, “For how many, Mom?” “Four, of course,” I muttered unhappily.

There was a pause, then, “You mean, you’re going to feed him?” “Yes, of course,” I assured her. And so began the healing of our little spat.

Today, I think back on that moment with amusement, thankful I chose to feed and forgive my dear husband—as he has done for me countless times.

We all need forgiveness, do we not? Romans 8 contrasts living in the flesh and living in the Spirit. The stark dissimilarities cut close to my selfish heart.

What spirit is controlling my life? When the Holy Spirit lives in us, He gives us the strength to choose love and forgiveness, even when it isn’t convenient, because that’s how God is. Sadly, though I want to belong to Christ, my life does not always show it.

As Romans 8 unfolds, we see the whole Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all allied on our side, working for our salvation. Paul assures us that if we have heard God’s call, we have been “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” (verse 29, NIV).

He called us, He justified us, He glorified us (verse 30).

It’s a done deal. In this great conflict, “the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings” (verse 26, HCSB). The Father “did not even spare His own Son but offered Him up for us all” (verse 32, HCSB). And “Christ Jesus . . . is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (verse 34, NIV). “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (verse 31, NIV).

Spirit of Christ, please live in me today!

Rhonda Huffaker Bolton