I CAN’T, HE CAN, HIS WAY
Susan Murray
Today’s Scripture: “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.... For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” Romans 7:15,18, ESV
Theme: I don’t get it. I want to do the right thing, but I just keep messing up.
UGH!!!
I did it again. Seems like no matter how hard I try I fail in some way to live like Jesus. It could be something immoral, illegal, or a failure to live out the fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. I could have feelings of jealousy, bitterness or lust. And it’s not only doing wrong, but a failure to do good things for the right reasons.
Hating sin is a good thing. To not hate sin places us in danger of the warning in I John 5: 18 which says, “We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning,” (NIV) meaning that those who love to sin without any desire to please God have not been born again. To hate your sin is a sign that you love God and want to please Him. The Holy Spirit is in you, giving you the desire to do what is right.
Sometimes instead of hating my sin, I hate myself. This is what we call “stinking thinking” at Celebrate Recovery. I can feel like giving up on faith because of feeling hopeless, calling myself a failure. I will fail, but my name is not Failure.
TWO SELVES
Paul says there is nothing good within him, clarifying that it is his sinful flesh. This is what is called the “old self” which was crucified (Romans 6:6), providing freedom to live God’s way. Yet we are still in this sinful body so we still sin not because we want to but because the flesh is weak and has absolutely no desire to please God. (Matthew 26:41) In Ephesians 4 Paul sees that there are two selves. The sinful old self of the flesh and the new righteous self we received as a gift by grace through faith in Jesus. This is the real self that God sees when he sees us. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24 to take off the old self and put on this new self. See yourself as God’s beloved child, fully clean and acceptable to God. Putting this new self on each day will lead to growing obedience. Experiencing Christ never leaves us the same but changes us. Be aware that this process is slow and there will always be a battle with the old self.
RESCUE
In Romans 7 Paul, who is considered a giant in faith, laments his own ongoing struggle against sinfulness and sin that remains even though great change had already happened. He calls himself wretched and in this deeply felt reality of anguish and helplessness he cries out; “Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!“ (Romans 7:24, NIV). The answer to ongoing sin that remains is not a technique, or method or even trying harder. Rescue comes from the outside in the form of a person - Jesus. We need Jesus just as much today to rescue us from sin as we did when we were first saved.
Make It Personal: Are you beating yourself up for failures that you swore you would never do again? Are you becoming aware of new sins or seeing that some of your sins are worse than you first thought? While you may see positive changes in other areas, do you feel like giving up? In the words of Jack Miller, “Cheer up! You're a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you're more loved than you ever dared hope.” Let your heart be encouraged with this promise from God in Philippians 1:6 (NIV), “being confident of this (the Gospel), that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” I personally invite you to Celebrate Recovery on Tuesday nights where we share our struggles with sin and encourage each other as we grow together becoming more dependent on Jesus who rescues us and changes us.
Pray: Father, please help me to see my sin completely and see Jesus even more clearly crying out to you for rescue. You are my only hope for salvation and true change to become more like Christ. Thank you and I praise you.
Read: Romans 7:13-25
Weekly Memory Verse: “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Romans 8:15, ESV