1st Corinthians Ch 1 MSG
18The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. 19It's written,
I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
20So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? 21Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb--preaching, of all things!-to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.
22While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom, 23we go right on proclaiming Christ, the Crucified. Jews treat this like an anti-miracle--and Greeks pass it off as absurd. 24But to us who are personally called by God himself--both Jews and Greeks--Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one. 25Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
26Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. 27Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, 28chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"? 29That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. 30Everything that we have--right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start--comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. 31That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God."
Revelation 21:5
And He Who is seated on the throne said, See! I make all things new. Also He said, Record this, for these sayings are faithful (accurate, incorruptible, and trustworthy) and true (genuine).[Isa. 43:19.]
Post 52 where Katherine learns to "Chillax" (chill-relax)
Ok so I have had a rollercoaster of a week. I will not bore you all with details only to say that I found answers to questions I didn't even know how to ask. Thank you to all who sought God and did what they were supposed to do. Thank you for the tough love and the not so tough love. They all had there place in the plan. I know there are still people for whom I need to speak with but when you are ready and God wants it to happen it will, I am going to wait for you to come to me, I will wait patiently for when God allows that to happen again. In the meantime I am comforted in the knowledge that God is my refuge and my fortress. That means when I am scared or feeling attacked I can seek shelter in him and when I need to be protected he is there also. He is also my foundation and I am grateful to have him to support me. Well I am going to be going to bed now. Early but not too early. I hope that as you read this you are reminded that when you seek him you will find him when you seek him with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29
12"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen.
13"When you come looking for me, you'll find me.
"Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, 14I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." GOD's Decree.
"I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"--GOD's Decree--"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.
Luke 11
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.
Deuteronomy 4:29
But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.
It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish-J.R.R Tolkien
Ok just over two weeks left to the semester. I can hardly believe all that has happened and all the ways I have grown since January!! I give God all the glory for everything. I have so much to do in the next two weeks I can hardly begin plus I have been working every weekend non stop so that has been a tad stressful. It will be ok.
So I hope that everyone else is dealing with the stress level ok. I think I am in a better place now then last summer cause I have the summer job thing all set and so that is helpful. Plus I already know where I am living next year and have scheduled my classes so, yeah that is good.
Ok Funny Story...
Today is my grandmas Birthday...Happy Birthday Grandma...
So my sister is on the phone with her and she is like...Yeah I was sweeping and the cat jumped on the broom
My sister is like OKAY Grandma but assuming either Grandma is a little off her rocker or that she must be talking about my cousin Patrick (pat) but she listens and then later she prepares to tell me of the conversation about how poor grandma is off her rocker...So I listen
And then I laugh...MEL Aunt Janet gave Grandma a cat two weeks ago.
Really? She says.
Ohhh well then I guess that makes sense..How come no one ever tells me anything?
So yeah I thought that was pretty funny
Ok So...Bonus Props to Jason for helping me with the whole circumference Area Fiasco dilemma
A Girl Named Carrie who might be transferring here next semester (if you are reading this it is only the beginning...God is gonna bless you girl)
Catie for Getting excited about my cookies after her nap and IMing me to tell me
Liz ..Just because .....Djere...Ditto
Grandma...For being so cute and cause its her birthday
By the way the move has been postponed till finals week for all of you I told that to...
What else...Oh yeah so I got my aid package for next semester..And it rocks and my schedule rocks too...Just in case you were wondering...Creative non fiction, Dance, Computer, Chem 300, Met, and some cultural literature class 9 thirty to 4ish tue thu and 11:30 - 1:30 ish on MWF with a comp lab W afternoon...
So Kids I had better go do the dishes and get ready for basic and I need to finish reading a book....
He has set my feet on a rock
So she listened to what they had to say. Everyone was telling her what she needed to hear. She listened to the words and she had no problem believing them for everyone...everyone but herself. Everyone said what was the good and proper thing to say but sometimes they just felt like words. She knew it was impossible to make herself feel what she did not.
All the words spoken in her life wouldn't change it. Proof was what she needed but she knew the only way to receive the proof was to seek a fullness not in words but in the One who knew her better then anyone else. The more she sought solace in the words of men the more she saw the fruitlessness of pursuing those relationships, until she was embraced by the one who knew her rising up and her laying down, those relationships would only bring her frustration. She had allowed herself to drift away from His rest and now it was time to stop running, stop doing, stop worrying, breathe and fall into His arms.
Sometimes it felt like for every step she took forward she took two steps back. She kept looking to the future for the answers but each morning had brought more anxiety and she had begun to hold onto things which would never bring her joy. It was time to give up control. His shoulders were much broader, His hands stronger, He was in all ways wise and in Him she trusted. She knew she had to stop making excuses and give to Him her all. This was the only way.
Psalm 40
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD ;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD .
4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods. [1]
5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
The Everlasting
"Ruler of the universe
Higher than the kings of the earth
Long before the world began
Everything was in Your hands
Your glory will forever stand
For You are the Lord
And You are God above
Your love goes on and on
You are the everlasting Father
(You are the everlasting)
You are the everlasting light, oh yeah
Every knee shall bow (every knee shall bow)
You are the everlasting life
Through the raging of the seas
The hills proclaim Your majesty
All these things created for
The glorifying of the Lord
We praise Your name forevermore
For You are the Lord
And You are God above
Your love goes on and on
You are the everlasting Father
(You are the everlasting)
You are the everlasting light, oh yeah
Every knee shall bow (every knee shall bow)
Lord of mercy (we adore You now)
You are the everlasting life
My heart cries out
My spirit shouts
I'll praise Your name forevermore"-Third Day- Offerings II
A prayer
The day stretches before me with possibilities. Will today be the day that I bless someone else? Will today be the day I live to please the one who made me or only myself? Will today be the day I allow him to work through me? What will today bring, oh what will today bring?
Oh Lord,
Let my thoughts be of you. Let my journey bring me to a place of resting in you today. Let the work of my hands be the work of your hands. Let your praise be continually on my lips oh great God. I am but your servant and I don't think my work can please my master. Correct me oh God. Let me know that I cannot do it but for your grace, love and mercy. Thank you oh merciful Father. I will search you oh God with my whole heart today and when I have found you and the work for my hands I will perform it without complaints. For you have made, yes even you formed me, you know my rising up and my lying down. You are my Father and you look to bring only good gifts to you children. I come to you humbly and thank you that you have said in your word "Behold I am making all things new" . Today oh Lord I ask you to make me new.
-Kate
Proverbs 4
10Dear friend, take my advice;
it will add years to your life.
11I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way,
I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road.
12I don't want you ending up in blind alleys,
or wasting time making wrong turns.
The coat
And just like that it was gone. The days of snowflakes flying had left her as quick as they had come. She was on the threshold of warmer nights. Nights not spent overwhelmed with assignments and thoughts of school. Nights spent with family. Days spent lovin on her girls.
As she sang in church that morning it hit her. Had they all real grown so much when she wasn't looking? They seemed to grow so fast. Of course they were not hers in all ways but she had opened her heart to them just the same. These were the ones who had grown like little sisters to her. When they saw her they ran and when she scooped them up it was then that she knew she was home. Oh how they had grown!
It seemed just as the seasons were changing so had things she thought was important. When the flakes were flying she had tried new things. It was strange at first but she grew to accept and embrace those things which were new. It was not all new, simply like a jacket put away for awhile and brought back out for the season. It served a purpose but still felt heavier then she had remembered it. Soon she grew accustomed to the coat and embraced it's purpose.
Now it seemed with the new season that she would have to set the coat aside for awhile and remember what it was like to walk without it protecting her from the elements. She didn't want to have to put the coat away because she had grown accustomed to it but she knew as the nights grew warmer the coat would do more harm then good. Still she wondered how she would deal without the coat. Of course on the same breath there were times when the coat did nothing but confuse her. At times it was too warm, the zipper stuck and other times it seemed it did nothing to protect her from the elements, she knew she was worse off without it but she wished she didn't need it at all. She knew that was foolish but it was how she felt not necessarily what she believed to be true.
On some level she loved the coat but in some ways she had learned to depend on the coat, staying out in the cold rather then doing what was right and coming inside. It was a hard lesson to learn because the coat at times had really helped her out. Soon she knew it would be time to let go off the coat and let the warm breeze blow over her bare arms. Only by being vulnerable would she learn when she really needed the coat. She had made up her mind, it was time.
Acts 2
1When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
Friday Night
Ok so last night after work I got the brilliant idea that I would drive back to the apartment after work to have fun with the Basic Kiddies. Unfortunately there was very little fun to be had. All the girls were having serious private girl talk which apparently I am not privy too. The guys were playing video games and beating up on one another. So I spent the evening doing not much of anything apart from posting on Djere's forums and other non-sensical activities such as reading and watching the Yankees. Mel spent the night at Amy Gruetmans so I was left to fend for myself until the AM when Mel phoned to alert me that I had better come unlock the deadbolt. I have to go to work soon. I am working late again tonight.
Enjoying: Toast w/Honey & Butter
Special Dark Chocolate Eggs
Chicken Strips Made by my Sister
Assorted CD's blasted on the one hour commute
Books
The air purifier which whirrs me into a deep slumber
Pondering.....
"Simple things are always the most difficult. In actual life it requires the greatest discipline to be simple, and the acceptance of oneself is the essence of the moral problem and the epitome of a whole outlook upon life. That I feed the hungry, that I forgive an insult, that I love my enemy in the name of Christ -- all these are undoubtedly great virtues. What I do unto the least of my brethren, that I do unto Christ. But what if I should discover that the least among them all, the poorest of all the beggars, the most impudent of all the offenders, the very enemy himself -- that these are within me, and that I myself stand in need of the alms of my own kindness, that I myself am the enemy who must be loved -- what then?" -Carl Jung as Quoted in Posers,Fakers and Wannabes (unmasking the real you) by Brennan Manning
The New Crib
So last night I got word on where I will be living next year. I am pretty excited and feeling pretty blessed to be able to live with a family from our church for less then I am paying now with added benefits like meals and laundry. I was kinda bummed earlier this week as I was thinking about all my friends living together in a suite. I know however that God wants me to do the off campus thing and has provided the way to make that work. As fun as living with the basic kids would be I think I also value my space and I will probably get more schoolwork done in this living arrangement.
It always amazes me the way God works things out according to his perfect plan. I mean that is not to say I doubt God but that instead I am amazed, in awe of the way he chooses to include the little worries of my life into his awesome plan. He has provision for my life. He cares to see about those details.
So this weekend I have to work 5-8 tonight 2-8 tomorrow and 1-8 Sunday so that means no fun. Work is the fun sucker, the fun Hoover. In better news however I have no classes Tuesday or Wednesday so I guess I can't complain too much.
Oh yeah and working at the island helps pay the bills, yeah the bills. That's what being a grownup is all about. And it is only going to get more fun when I graduate (or perhaps if I ever) cause then I will have like a mortgage and School loans and health insurance. It is looking like I will have spent a total of 3 1/2 years at oswego before I can get my teaching degree...if you add that to the 2 years from JCC that will be a bachelors in 5 1/2 years. You do the math....Not exactly what I would have planned but Early Childhood Credits don't exactly transfer into the El Ed English degree. So yes I will be oh like 26 when I get by bachelors and roughly 28 when I get my masters. 2 more years at oswego or 1 1/2 plus a summer with an 18 credit hour load next semester...Then the masters classes.
So God has this plan for me to be here, although at times I am pretty confused by it, it is his plan and not my own.
Well I had better get going I had a class off today and I am going to go grab a bite to eat before my 3 o'clock Spanish and my 1 hr commute to the island. If you need me this weekend I will be chillin with the Rents and the washer before I head back Sunday night. Tuesday night we must have lots of fun because I will need to make up for the fun sucking weekend.
-Kate
"Well I'm lookin' into hookin' with a lady
And not a girly of the worl'y that's shady
But the kinda girl you meet
Behind the doors of a church
Ya see, God will bring her to me
So I don't have to search
Too hard I've been scarred by the ones of the past
So put an APB out on the one that will last
A little longer than a roll in the hay for sure
But a bona fide lady's what I'm prayin' for-DC Talk"
Star Girl
So I have decided to post here again...
I come here and I post. In some ways, although I love encouragement, I know what I post here is for me and not so much for anyone else. What I document here is my journey. My thoughts are given a voice. That is what I love about my blog. I have a voice. My voice is not always the same but it is always distinctely mine and mine alone.
So what makes up this desire in me to post? I have thoughts that should be heard. It isn't imperitive that I know who reads them or that they have an audiance so much as I have liberated them from my mind to the written word. What is written is in someways more tangible, more real.
What is real to me today? Today as I just finished an excellent juvenile fiction book called Stargirl I was forced to ask myself real questions about acceptance and what the worth of that is. The book made me really question if I was living my life based on these notions of what was acceptable and where my worth lies. In the book the main character is confronted with these issues when he meets this girl who is "Stargirl". A new student who was homeschooled in the past, she cheers for both teams at basketball games, she plays her ukelele at lunch to anyone who is having a birthday. She doesn't seem to notice the set norms of the high school. So I really enjoyed the book, read it in one day and it is on my mind. *********
"She was elusive. She was today. She was tommorow. She was the faintest scent of the cactus flower, the flitting shadow of an elf owl. We did not know what to make of her. In our minds we tried to pin her to corkboard like a butterfly, but the pin merely went through and away she flew."-Jerry Spinelli, Star Girl
Kittens Ponies and Frozen Reeses
So I had a good talk(IM) with Catie last night. It is good sometimes to just say what is on your mind. Sometimes when we really get what we are thinking out there we realize that it is not the thoughts that God wants us to be having or thinking toward ourselves. It is important sometimes to have someone to listen and to tell us what we need to hear. I think seeking what the Lord would say to us on our own of course has an important place as well.
I know that God has brought some new people onto my life this semester. I wanted to believe that friendships were all kittens and ponies and the solutions to my problems, sunshine and frozen reeses peanut butter cups. In reality all relationships are on some level work. That is not to say it is always hard. Just to say when you have good Christian friends then you are accountable and God is going to deliver to you in a measure, a dose of, "you have support, now deal with your "issues"".
I praise God for the Friendships he has blessed me with this semester because I know it is the catalyst for growth. I see myself growing and more and more I feel like I am growing closer to God, not just closer to other people. I also see my friends growing closer to God which makes me want to press in even harder.
I see the way the word is written on Djere's heart and it makes me desire to know Gods word in a more intimate way. I see the way Liz seeks to hear from God and makes that relationship her priority. I see the way Catie has Christ-like compassion. I strive not to be like them but like the Jesus I see working in them. <><
"Call it what you will, I call it rain
When troubles come and pan against my soul
Go in if you like, I will remain
And let the washing waters make me whole
Just when I’m sure that I can’t bear the rain
A tiny leaf starts pushing through the ground
In a place where the soil was too dry to sustain it
A new tiny flower can be found "
-Sara Groves
Reflections
Broken I called to the Lord and He answered me.
I waited in that place and I cried out to Him,
ABBA FATHER.
There was no rest in that place,
I sought the shelter of His wing,
My body and my flesh they failed me,
He who never fails was there,
Yes even in that place He dwelt with me,
I was restless, tormented and grieved,
but never alone.
He held my hand,
He sang over me,
His praise was continually on my lips.
His mercies were new in the morning,
He was full of love,
I sought shelter with Him,
In Him I found refuge.
As I drew near to Him,
He drew near to me,
I sought Him and I found him.
All the places that used to fit me....
I got my hair trimmed tonight at Cutting Crew. Yes I have settled for a cutting crew cut. You know what? Courtney does a real nice job. There is something renewing about a nice hair cut. It gives you a whole new perspective on life. Ok maybe that is pushing it. I do enjoy a hair cut though. I do. I am feeling like it turned out pretty good though.
Not much else to report. I had a long day at school. There are four weeks left in the semester. I am longing for sleeping in summer days and evenings at the island. I am still not sure where I am gonna be living but I know it will get worked out. I might be staying with Jeanette and Caroline or with the parents or on the island. Most likely with my parents.
Watching: Bernie Mac w/ashton kutcher
Eating: Chocolate Cake with Ganoche Frosting
Leftovers
Hummus w/Sesame Pitas
Procrastinating:Essay, Childrens Lit Reading, Dishes, Math, maybe the list should be what I am not procrastinating cause that list would be shorter
Pondering: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop if you think tootsie rolls are gross?
"I've been painting pictures of Egypt
Leaving out what it lacks
And the future feels so hard
And I want to go back
But the places they used to fit me
Cannot hold the things I've learned
Those roads were closed off to me
While my back was turned " -Sara Groves
Happy Easter Jeopardy
5 Am.
What is the time I woke up?
6 Am
What is the time I praised Jesus with my Friends at the lake?
6
What is the number of people who rode in my car to church this morning?
Chocolate Chips
What is the thing that made my scones so yummy for breakfast?
10 thirty PM
What is the time I went to bed last night?
A power toothbrush and a bag of Milano Cookies
What were my Easter presents from my parents?
Coffee
What is the beverage that makes Karen Happy?
An Emu
I don't know, ask Liz?
Grateful
What is Katherine feeling this Easter Morning?
Good Friday!
Reasons Today was a Good Friday!
I got out of Spanish Early!
My Boss told me not to come into work tonight!
Chickety China the Chinese Chicken for dinner!
I got to play with Miss Caroline Age Three....we danced around the living room with great abandon....she ate fruit snacks...we watched the disney channel...she didn't take a bath...good times were had by all :)
I am going to bed early!
I don't have to go to work till 10 tomorrow!
My bro and Sis in Law are visiting the rents and so am I!
Happy Good Friday!
The Body is Weak.....So Weak.
Lesson of the week: Katherine's Not Invincible (No way? Are you Serious?)
Yeah so I have kinda been neglecting the physical man. So when you don't eat or sleep in a pattern with any regularity it will come back to bite you. God has been teaching me a hard lesson that I am not able to do everything for everyone all the time. Despite a great desire to do what he wants. It is only by his grace I accomplish anything but I must first submit to the reality that at some point he will lift his grace and I will fall on my face if I am not mindful of my body, Mentally and Physically. I am a person who lives in a physical body and that body has needs like eating and sleeping. Sounds simple but sometimes when you are in college it is the simple concepts you have the hardest time grasping. So if you can't find me in the next week, check the kitchen, check my bed, check the couch, check for the girl behind the homework assignment. Routine is the new order of the week.
In other news Djere wants to do a sunrise service on Easter Morning....I can't think of a better place to be reverent then sunrise on the Shores of Lake Ontario...God's Mercies are new every morning...
Come Thou Fount Lyrics By Robert Robinson
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise my Ebenezer; ("Ebenezer" means "stone of help")
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
I love this hymn and my favorite lines are these :
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Oh that the Lord would allow us to learn a sonnet sung by flaming tongues above!
Happy Birthday Mike!
I am going to devote this post to the Man who is 29 years old today. Yes folks my brother is 1 year away from being 30 years old. My mom however still remembers vividly the day he was born. "24 Hours!" she said to me this morning as she recounted the labor to bring him into this world. To her he will in someways always be that baby full of possibilities miraculously brought into this earth with his cord wrapped around him.
As Mike grew he gained a sister and then another sister( that's me) and he learned a few important lessons. One of those lesson was if you tell things to your little sisters they will believe you, even if you are talking out of your butt. Eventually Mel and later I would figure this out and say "You're making that up!" and Mike would laugh.
Mike has made many of my birthday's memorable. I remember one birthday in particular where he mailed me a package as he was away at college. It was a very large postal envelope and it was full of M&M's. The trick was it was many types of M&M's and they were no longer in their bags. This was a few years ago when they had Peanut butter M&M's and Mint M&M's also plain and peanut. It was like an Candy Treasure hunt.
Many of you know all about Mel because we live in the same house and so it is easy for me to talk about her or she is just around but my brother lives in Rochester. He is a full fledged grownup. Yup he went to school, married the red-haired fellow houghtonite Janet and now he has a "real job". They have bought a house now too further establishing their credibility as grown ups. I however have maintained my Peter Pan status here in Oswego. Everytime I go in for advisement it seems my goal of being a grown-up is delayed just a wee bit longer. I don't mind a bit.
So Happy Birthday Big Brother Mike! I will see you Saturday and I expect that you will be able to enlighten me with lots of "Grown Up" wisdom. I promise not to tell if I know you are talking out your booty.
"I won't grow up.
Not a penny will I pinch.
I will never grow a mustache,
Or a fraction of an inch.
'Cause growing up is awfuller
Than all the awful things that ever were.
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up,
No sir,
Not I,
Not me,
So there!"-Peter Pan and the Lost Boys
Give Yourselves to God...Surender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes.
Romans 6:13 TEV
Your Love Is Extravagant
Your love is extravagant
Your friendship intimate
I find I’m moving to the rhythms of Your grace
Your fragrance is intoxicating
In the secret place
Spread wide in the arms of Christ
Is the grace that covers sin
No greater love have I ever known
That You’d consider me a friend
And, capture my heart again
Basic Retreat
This weekend was awesome. God is allowing us to be a part of something so amazing that words seem horribly inadequate. What I am feeling can be best expressed by a passage from the bible.
Romans 8
Life Through the Spirit
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[1] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,[2] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.[3] And so he condemned sin in sinful man,[4] 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man[5] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind[6] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation--but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.[7] And by him we cry, "Abba,[8] Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Future Glory
18I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that[9] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
More Than Conquerors
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[10] who[11] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[12] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[13] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
