Paul said, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for
the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I want, I do not do, but I
practice the very evil that I do not want. But I am doing the very thing I do
not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me” (Rom.
7:18-20).
Hey Gang: Notice Paul does not
leave it there. Keep in mind that when
Paul wrote these words there were no paragraphs in his letter to the Romans.
He, went on to say, ”Yes, I do the very
things I hate, BUT. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus has set you free from the law, of sin and death” (Rom. 8:1-2).
Did you know that the Bible is filled with
very effective road maps to living truly effective lives? For instance,
look at Colossians three and note that Paul gives us a formula for change.
But - before giving us the
formula- he sets the prerequisites for implementation and success of this
formula in verse one: “Therefore, if,” notice the ‘if’ if you have been raised with Christ” (Col.
3:1). The principles in the Word are many, but keep in mind there are
prerequisites to receiving God’s blessings. Obviously, first to gain the blessings
of God, we must first plug our plug into God’s power supply.
Paul goes on with the key to success: “Keep seeking” and follows this chunk of
advice by giving us the “rest of the story -“Keep seeking the things above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the
things above, not on the things that are on earth”. (vs. 1b-2).
He then gives us step one to the
change process: “For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ
in God” (v. 3). What a joy there is in knowing that, when we have
surrendered our lives to Christ, we are literally hidden with Him and when He
is revealed, then we also will be revealed with Him in glory.” Wow!, Just
plain wow!
Now Paul goes on with the
prerequisites to being hidden with Him: “Consider
your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and
greed, which amounts to idolatry” (v.5).
Is Paul saying “God would like you
to die to these things?”. I believe it goes a lot deeper.
Notice Paul’s next words, “For it is because of these things the wrath of
God will come upon the sons of disobedience” (v.6).
So, young folks, remember the
hillbilly adage “Your gonna get what ya
always got,! if ya do what ya always did!’
Paul put it this way: “Be not
deceived, you are going to reap what you sow” (Gal. 6:7). You will make
choices today – to “put off” those
things that offend God, or to “put on” those
things that bring honor and glory to
Abba Father. The toughest part of the
change process then kicks in -“We must let God have total control of your
all.
If you we asked how much have you
committed to your Saviour and Lord, what would your meter read?
Blessings,
Gramps
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