October 1

"He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his spirit that dwelleth in you." Romans 8:11

The previous verse explains how God gives life to our spirit; this verse tells us how he gives life to our body. The body is dead in this sense that it is traveling toward the grave. No matter how advanced a Christian's spiritual walk is, he has yet to possess a redeemed body. This can only be in the future. Today's body is just an earthly tent, a body of humiliation.

This verse, however, teaches us that if the Spirit of God abides in us, then through this indwelling power God also gives renewal to that earthly tent. He is not here speaking of a future resurrection, but of the fact that the Holy Spirit can strengthen our physical bodies so that we can meet the requirements of God's work. Neither our life nor the kingdom of God will suffer through the weakness of a body thus renewed and empowered.