Reality=Evil: Desire=Good

Last Sunday my parents were camping so I decided that I would go to church alone, for the first time...ever. I don't know why I had never gone to church alone before because I've had many opportunities, but I guess I had more than my share of fears...for some reason..I don't know..Anyway, man am I ever glad I did. It was a communion sunday so it was great to meet God at His table, which I hadn't done in a long time, and I also got a lot out of the sermon. The sermon was based on Romans 7:15-25a, which reads (for reference..).:"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.[REALITY] For in my inner being I delight in God's law;[DESIRE] but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (NIV) While Paul was writing this he was struggling with sin, as you can pretty well tell at the beginning with all the confusion in all those do's....(there's alot...i wouldn't even begin to count them all..sheesh..) but anyway, Paul has the desire to be godly, not as in being God, but to be more like Him: sinless and blameless...that kind of stuff. But Paul realizes that yes he may have the desire, but alone he simply does not have the ability. In the same way, Peter had the desire to stand up for and defend Jesus "to the end" but not having the ability he denied Christ 3 times. Paul kind of comes to an end out of perhaps frustration and maybe annoyance and he says.."what a wretched man I am!" All I gotta say it, I know..me too...grrr..but then, he writes great words of hope "Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (YES!!! AMEN!) Brings an old song to mind..."How sweet it is to be loved by you!" But back to having desire and not the ability...which doesn't have to be completely true, because if we have the desire to do good and not evil, then in and through Christ we have the ability because of the strength in Him...(Philippians 4:13.."I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.") So our prayer for the day can be...Dear Lord, forgive me for my sins: my sins against You and my neighbors. I have the desire to do good, I no longer want to do what I hate, evil. Give me strength and the ability to do good, and win the war against my members and the law of my mind, to follow Your law. Thank You Gracious Father for Your Son, Jesus Christ, for in Him I find forgiveness, salvation, and the strength and ability to do good. Amen.

May God grant you strength in your desire to do good,
Adam


P.S.: WWJD What Would Jesus Do!?