Romans 8:1, 2
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. (NIV)

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death. (MSG)

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Several years ago, a buddy of mine and I finished a long day of consulting in the Detroit, Michigan, area. We shared an Uber to the airport, where he boarded a Delta flight to South Carolina, and I boarded an American Airlines flight home.

He did not make it to South Carolina. Now, please don’t rush to the conclusion that his plane crashed or anything like that. However, he endured some rather intense moments. Stormy weather and aircraft issues kept him bouncing across the heavens much longer than he would have otherwise enjoyed.

Major thunderstorms redirected the flight. They couldn’t land in South Carolina. Then an engine blew out. I don’t know if you’ve ever been on a plane with two engines that suddenly had only one operating, but it does things to the aircraft that would probably make you very uncomfortable.

My friend finally landed in his hometown a few hours after he was supposed to be somewhere else entirely. I’m guessing there was a strong temptation to kiss the ground like Pope John Paul II used to do after he landed.

My bride and I recently took flights on consecutive weekends, first to one coast and then the other. We remarked to one another how smooth and easy those flights were. I prefer smooth and easy.

Life can be like my buddy’s really bad flight. It can also be like the flights we’ve taken most recently. We get to make one choice that helps determine how smoothly life goes.

A life of sinful self-interest usually ends with us getting beat up in ways we didn’t anticipate. The Apostle Paul tells us there’s a better way. The Message paraphrase brings this to life.

With the arrival of Jesus, the Messiah, that fateful dilemma is resolved. Those who enter into Christ’s being-here-for-us no longer have to live under a continuous, low-lying black cloud. A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

Life in Christ clears the air. A Spirit-directed life delivers us from the brutal tyranny of sin’s sure consequences.

This is good news.

Romans 7 tells us that we can try really hard to be good by keeping all the rules and doing all the right things as far as we’re able, only to discover that we’re not able. Romans 8 tells us what Jesus did for us and what the Spirit does in us, empowering us to do what we can’t do on our own.

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I will fly in the clear air and smooth skies Jesus provides.

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Our Father, thank you for doing for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Thank you for your great forgiveness. Thank you for empowering us to live new kinds of lives. Thank you for providing everything we need for life and peace. Amen.