I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary. But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. -Romans 7:14-20 (MSG)
What a relief it has been since the first time I read Paul's writing on doing the things he hates. This is not said to be considered some sort of "great, I can keep on sinning and not give it a second thought--because Paul did it too" type of revelation. Not at all. However, it is meant to point out that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; all of us need the same grace that Paul was confident in. All of us need vast amounts of help.
I chose to quote The Message paraphrase today because I like the last line--that references something "deep within me." My sin is also deep within me, born in the days of Adam and cultivated down through the centuries, finally being nurtured in me during my brief stay on this planet. As much as I would like to ignore it or pretend that it somehow no longer exists, it is there and taunts my relationship with God every day.
There is only so much room within myself--as a being of limited size and scope. That being stated, I am either filled with myself as Paul writes above, or I have made room for the Holy Spirit and have offered Him free reign over my life. Fortunately, when I have those moments that Paul describes above (and I will as someone in the flesh), I do have someone to intercede for me and constantly pray on my behalf when I am unwilling or incapable: Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. -Romans 8:26-28 (MSG)
What a relief it has been since the first time I read Paul's writing on doing the things he hates. This is not said to be considered some sort of "great, I can keep on sinning and not give it a second thought--because Paul did it too" type of revelation. Not at all. However, it is meant to point out that all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; all of us need the same grace that Paul was confident in. All of us need vast amounts of help.
I chose to quote The Message paraphrase today because I like the last line--that references something "deep within me." My sin is also deep within me, born in the days of Adam and cultivated down through the centuries, finally being nurtured in me during my brief stay on this planet. As much as I would like to ignore it or pretend that it somehow no longer exists, it is there and taunts my relationship with God every day.
There is only so much room within myself--as a being of limited size and scope. That being stated, I am either filled with myself as Paul writes above, or I have made room for the Holy Spirit and have offered Him free reign over my life. Fortunately, when I have those moments that Paul describes above (and I will as someone in the flesh), I do have someone to intercede for me and constantly pray on my behalf when I am unwilling or incapable: Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. -Romans 8:26-28 (MSG)
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