For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. Romans 7:15 (New American Standard Bible)
When my grandson was three he discovered large marker pens and delighted in writing wherever he could find a flat surface. He was repeatedly cautioned about it and for a while there were no more incidents-until the day I sat down to eat lunch. In that short period he found a black marker and decided to write on my new tan suede sofa, the hallway walls, the hallway tile floor, doors and facings. Fortunately there was a cleaning product that took the marks off of everything, even the suede sofa. Now it looks good as new and I have nicknamed my grandson Captain Flash for he is truly faster than a speeding bullet.
Paul speaks of the part of our Christian experience in not practicing what we want to do but instead doing the very thing we know is wrong. For some reason our sin nature remained strong and intact even though we accepted Jesus Christ into our lives. When Paul said we are ‘dead to sin’ he means that we died with Christ to our former ways of sinful living. Our sin natures will be completely done away with when we stand before Him either through death or rapture. But in this life we still wrestle with the temptation to do wrong. It is one of the hardest things about our life in Christ.
Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection did away with the power of sin to again enslave us against our will. Before we trusted in Christ we didn’t have the ability to resist temptation but now through the power of the Holy Spirit we indeed have a choice. It is still a fight, for practicing sin is easy and there are still times when we will do what we hate. We can go to Him for help and relief for He removed our chains of slavery to sin. When there are occasions that we step out of His will thanks to Him we can let those chains lie at our feet and continue to trust in His magnificent grace.
Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com
