Romans 7:18-20
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
If there were ever two words to mark my earliest recollections it is the words of today’s Daily-E-Votional, You Behave! I really could never quite figure it out since I really never intended to misbehave, but it seemed as if I always did. I lived in the day of corporal punishment and it was years before I discovered that kindling wood was intended to start fires rather than tan my behind.
I am so glad that I had parents who loved me enough to give me the discipline that I needed (as often as they caught me doing wrong). They did not discipline me because they were abusing me, but because they were shaping me to be aware that the results of sin always carry consequences.
There are many people in our modern world who picture God as a tyrant who sits in the heavens and delights in lowering the boom on those who sin. I have come to see that our Lord is a loving God who loves us so much that He disciplines us in order that we might escape the consequences of our sinful actions.
Following the passage that I quoted above is the answer to our sinful disposition. Paul almost cries out about his sinful condition and how it depresses him, but then shouts with joy in verses 24 and 25; “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” There is our answer. When we confess our sin to Jesus we find His great love reaching out to welcome us back into His arms. Thank you Jesus!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil