“For all who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God.”
– Romans 8:14
Romans 8:14, let that verse comfort you all day long. Lead, guide you in a sense all day long. Those who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God. This picture of us as children of God, you and me. All who’ve put their faith in Jesus, been brought into the family of God. The spirit testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. We’re heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ. We cry out to God Abba Father. That’s the kind of language that’s being used here in Romans chapter eight. We cry out to God, the God of the universe like dad, he’s our father. We’re his children. I think about my kids.
For we have not received a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
I love my kids so much. I love leading them, like going on a trip with them. Going somewhere with them. The other night we were taking our two older boys out on a special night out and like leading them through that. Surprising them having fun with them. This picture of father and his children is the imagery God gives us in his word to describe his relationship with us. We are led as children by God our father and he leads us by His spirit. See the beautiful picture here.
See your life today in this lens. Like wherever you go, you get in the car to drive somewhere to ride somewhere. You get on a bike, you walk somewhere, you are being led by the spirit of God as a child of God. Everywhere you go in everything you do right now, where you are sitting, where you’re walking, whatever you’re doing, you right now as a child of God are being led by the spirit of God.
Romans 8:14 Reminds Us That We Are Children Of God
So enjoy your day with your father. No matter what you are doing, realize that you’re spending a day with your heavenly father and he is leading you by his spirit. So stay in tune with his spirit. Walk and step with his spirit. Keep your eyes fixed on his eyes and let him lead you all day long. Oh God, we praise you for this privilege. We praise you for this joy, for this reality.
God, we pray that this would be our perspective. God, help us to see ourselves today. I just think about all that I’ve got going on today. At least that I got scheduled to go on today. God, I pray that above it all, I would just see everything on that schedule. Every place I go, everything I do just walking with you as a child with his dad. I pray this for other brothers and sisters who are praying along with me.
Follow After God’s Path as His Child
God, I pray that they would see you as their father right now looking upon them with love, with care, with a desire to provide with the desire to lead. God, I pray that you would indeed lead them, lead me as your children today. Help us to walk in step with your spirit. Help us to obey you. And help us to keep our eyes fixed on you.
God, help us to experience and enjoy your love for us today. Help us to walk in close relationship, in intimacy with you as a child with our father. We praise you for the truth of Romans 8:14, those who are led by the spirit of God are sons of God, children of God. All glory be to your name. Our dad.
We pray this in Jesus name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
