All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. 15 You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, “ Abba, Father. ” 16 The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. 17 But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.
The Rev. Patricia D. Brown, PhD is Executive Director of the Spiritworks Center in Pittsburgh, PA. In addition, as an ordained minster with the United Methodist Church, she ministers through Hope Made Real which cares for orphans in Rwanda, Africa. Her creative ministry can be found at www.spiritworks.org. She is the author of seven books for Abingdon Press, including Heart to Heart, Spirit Gifts, Learning to Lead from Your Spiritual Center, and 365 Affirmations for Hopeful Living. She is a keynote speaker, retreat and seminar leader and a professor/teacher.