Scripture: Romans 7:18-20
I know that good doesn’t live in me—that is, in my body. The desire to do good is inside of me, but I can’t do it. I don’t do the good that I want to do, but I do the evil that I don’t want to do. But if I do the very thing that I don’t want to do, then I’m not the one doing it anymore. Instead, it is sin that lives in me that is doing it.
Thought for the Day: This could be interpreted as a rather unhealthy internal conversation, yet Paul presents his thoughts in a way that leaves me (maybe you) nodding in an affirmative way. We have all done things we should not have done, and even as we were doing it, we knew it was not a good idea. We might have even had a conversation with ourselves in an attempt to justify why we were about to do what we were going to do. It appears as if Paul is pointing toward a tension between the good inside of us and the sin that lives within us. That might be a slight oversimplification, but I do believe there are a multitude of competing voices within each of us. Everything from the voice of your grandmother telling you what is right – to your ego telling you how you deserve the promotion at any cost – to your insecurity telling you to hide the real you – to a childhood experience that continues to suggest you are a nobody – to the voice of the Spirit announcing you are a beloved child of God and are to be an agent of love wherever you go. There is a lot happening, and the life long journey of a Jesus follower is to give more and more authority to the voice of the Spirit that speaks the teaching and values of Jesus. What will you do today to listen and appreciate that voice a bit more than you did yesterday?
Prayer: Speak loudly, O Spirit of Christ, so that all the voices attempting to have a say in my decisions might bow to your authority. It is my struggle, O Gracious One, but I believe you will be patient. Amen.
THIS SUNDAY
An Often Difficult Gift
BLOOD DRIVE THIS SUNDAY
Consider Giving The Gift Of Life
