~ this is something from 2/23/03 (Sunday)
A STRUGGLING SAINT
I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the
very thing I hate (Romans 7:15).
Perhaps the most vivid description of the contest with sin which
goes on in the life of the believer is found in Romans 7:15-25.
In verses 15 and 16, Paul describes the problem: "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. But if I
do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law,
confessing that it is good."
Notice that there is only one player in these two verses--the
"I," mentioned nine times. Notice also that this person has a
good heart; he agrees with the law of God. But this good-hearted
Christian has a behavior problem. He knows what he should be
doing but, for some reason, he can't do it. He agrees with God
but ends up doing the very things he hates.
Verses 17-21 uncover the reason for this behavior problem: "So
now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me.
. . . If I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer
the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me." How many players
are involved now? Two: sin and me. But sin is clearly not me;
it's only dwelling in me. Sin is preventing me from doing what I
want to do.
Do these verses say that I am no good, that I am evil, or that I
am sin? Absolutely not. They say that I have something dwelling
in me which is no good, evil, and sinful, but it's not me. If I
have a sliver in my finger, I could say that I have something in
me which is no good. But it's not me who's no good. I'm not the
sliver. The sliver which is stuck in my finger is no good. I am
not sin and I am not a sinner. I am a saint struggling with sin
which causes me to do what I don't want to do.
Romans 6:12 informs us that it is our responsibility not to allow
sin to reign in our lives. Sin will reign if we use our bodies as
instruments of unrighteousness (Romans 6:13). We must renounce
every such use and submit our bodies to God as instruments of
righteousness.
Thank You, Lord, that I don't have to sin. You made it possible
for me to control sin's power over me. You delivered me from the
wages of sin and blessed me with the gift of eternal life in
Christ.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
wow!
this is amazing.... see now my thinking was that I am bad and I am worthless because I AM a sinner, that sin is in me, how can God look on me as a sinner, how can I even be what He would want me to be. This just hit me straight between the eyes..... sin is like a sliver and it needs to be removed and doesn't make me a bad person, doesn't make me worthless....
So when I do things that I miss the mark on so to speak, I am not bad or worthless, this is my cop out per se, it is my way of saying I can't do this, I am not worth trying, and it gives me a way to not work on things.... I am not going to do that any more.... I am going to keep working and get the sin out of me. I will be confessing my sins more often than what I have been. This way I will be clean and worthy of Christ in me and I will receive the grace that will help me grow closer to God and to be the person that God wants me to be and help me meet the mark more often.
Please keep me accountable to do this.... I need to remember that although there are bad things in me, they need to be removed so that I may be closer to God and not so focused on the bad stuff.
I think I will be talking to Eli about this tonight to try and help him see that he isn't a bad child maybe the sliver analogy will help him too, it is simple and it is effective 
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