“For in my inner
being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war
against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work
within me. Thanks be to God, who
delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:22-23; 25, NIV
Have you
ever known anyone who seems to make the same mistakes over and over again? Leaving
one abusive relationship just to end up in another? Going from one job to
another? Have you ever caught yourself making the same mistakes? Sometimes, it
seems we are our own worst enemy, caught in a circular trap of doing what we
don’t want to do and not doing that which we want to do. Here is how Paul
describes it,
”I do not understand
what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do … For I
know that good itself does not dwell 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 I do not the
good I want to do, but 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… What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from
this body that is subject to death?” Romans 7:15-24, NIV
We try to effect change in our lives through changing our
outward circumstances; we change our church, our spouse, our job, only to find
that we still have the same root problem… us; for everywhere we go, there we
are. I have certainly done my own share of marching in circles, resolving to do
better, be stronger, more disciplined, only to end up exactly where I started
from. Only now it was worse. Now I had not only the burden of the original sin
I was trying to overcome, I also had the frustration and condemnation of
failure. Like Paul, I cried out, “Who will rescue me?”
And like Paul, I finally understood that in my flesh is no
good thing; all of my resolutions, all of my willpower could not deliver me… I
was my own worst enemy.
Trying to serve God in our flesh is always going to fail. We
mean well, but the flesh, our old man, is always subject to the law of sin and
death. We can try to “pretty it up” (The phrase, “trying to put lipstick on a pig”
comes to mind!), but the reality is that
we are all born with Adam’s sin nature and are therefore sinners; “… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans
3:23, NIV
Now for some good news:
“For we know that our old
self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away
with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died
has been set free from sin.” Romans 6:6, 7, NIV
Paul admonishes us to “… reckon ye also
yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ
our Lord.” Romans 6:11, KJV
Paul says it is a done deal! We have been crucified with
Christ. Our old man is dead. Our new man is alive in Christ. The problem is
that most of us are still carrying that “old man corpse” around with us. Instead
of releasing it and bidding it, “Farewell,” we’ve strapped it onto our back,
taking it with us everywhere we go! We might dress it up in fancy clothes and spray
it with perfume, but it will never be anything but a dead corpse – powerless
to help us and a hindrance to our living a victorious life.
Therefore, if anyone
is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
It is time to cast off that old man who reeks of failure and
powerlessness, and to “… put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness
and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:24, KJV
Everywhere I go, there I am.
The question is, Which “am” am I taking with me?
Is it the old man, crucified, powerless, and reeking of sin,
death and decay? Or, is it the new man, created in righteousness and holiness,
God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works …? (see Ephesians 2:10)
Everywhere I go, there I am.
1 "So, the cross
is always ready and waits for you everywhere. You cannot escape it no matter
where you run, for wherever you go you are burdened with yourself. Wherever you
go, there you are." —Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, ca. A.D. 1440
Everywhere I go, there I am. And everywhere I go, the cross goes
with me. The finished work of Jesus on the cross had delivered me from sin and
death; has redeemed me from Satan’s kingdom and translated me into the Kingdom
of God; has created in me righteousness and holiness. The enemy has been
vanquished. Everywhere I go, the Holy Spirit of God goes with me.
THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION
Which “am” am I taking with me everywhere I go?
“The Holy Spirit of God goes with me everywhere.” What does that mean to me?
Love, Hugs, and Blessings,
Syandra
Have you believed? If
not, choose to believe what the Bible says: God loves you; Jesus took
your sins upon Himself on the cross, dying for them; God raised Jesus from the
dead. If you believe it, then profess it, confess it, and declare it out loud.
Jesus has already done the heavy work; all we are asked to do is believe and
receive what He has done for us. Satan offers death. Jesus offers abundant life
now and eternal life when we leave our earthly bodies behind. Choose life!
For it is with your heart that you believe and
are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are
saved.”
Romans 10:8-10, NIV
Have you believed? If not, choose to believe what the Bible says:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23, NIV
"He himself (Jesus) bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed." I Peter 2:24, NIV
“Salvation is found in no one else (but Jesus), for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12, NIV
“…If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9, NIV
Sin brought us death. Jesus, through His blood shed for us on the cross, offers us abundant life now and eternal life when we leave our earthly bodies behind. I would love to hear from you when you accept what Jesus has done for you, or if you have questions.
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