Romans 8:1-4

Romans 8:1-4
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Do you feel free?  Do you feel like you walk according to the Spirit?
  If you're like me, you probably don't.  And I think this is a critical point for Christians to know and understand -- it's not about how you feel.  What happens to a lot of us is that we focus on ourselves -- on our thoughts and our actions and our lives, and we let those feelings make judgments about what kind of Christians we are.  We feel compassion fatigue when we see the third wave of hurricanes sweeping across the lives of the vulnerable, and we feel guilty, and we decide that we aren't good enough Christians, and we beat ourselves up.  We do this over and over -- I'm still thinking about whether or not I responded faithfully to the homeless guy who hit me up for money on my walk to the car.  We get these thoughts and questions into our heads and they rattle around in there and pretty soon we feel terrible about ourselves, right?  Or am I the only one?
  What Paul is teaching us here is that our worth is not determined by our inner feelings.  Our value is based upon what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.  In Him, there is no condemnation.  In Him, we have been set free.  That's it -- it's not conditional!!!!  We are free because God has sent his own Son, and our lives are forever changed because of Him!!!  So let us give thanks, because our worth isn't dependent on how we feel -- Paul doesn't say that there is no condemnation for those who feel good about their walk of faithfulness.  Paul says that we who are in Christ are set free due to his amazing love  Let us give thanks with a joyful heart for the steadfast love and faithfulness of God!