Romans 7: 19-25 “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
The above scripture reference was written by the Apostle Paul after the Damascus Road experience and while imprisoned in Rome. He had written most of his letters and seen multitudes come to Christ yet, he was a flawed man…and he knew it! This Paul that was taught by the greatest religious mind of his day, quickened on the road to Damascus, wrote most of the New Testament, soothed the fears of a Roman guard, and ultimately gave his supreme sacrifice for the Master, was acutely aware of his frailty in the faith! Yet God honored him.
In this present day, what does God desire from you? You may be shifting from side to side because of the conviction that comes to you but the question remains. God wants to use you. I’m not saying that He wants to do some big thing with you; I’m just saying He wants to use you! It could be as small as your neighbor knowing Him through you (which is not a small thing after all). Who knows what will be done through the one that you reach!
We all are in a daily fight with the flesh. Not one of us has ‘arrived’ as we have learned by the Apostle Paul’s testimony. He fought through and won through Christ and we can too! Don’t focus on the things of this world; focus on Christ alone and your life will be vastly different. When Peter took his eyes of Jesus he sank on the sea yet Jesus reached out His righteous right hand and lifted him up to ‘see’ level and they walked together on the water.
We are saved by the goodness and work of Christ on Calvary and His bodily resurrection at the tomb. We stand in His goodness and not ours. The only thing that is good about us is found in Colossians 1:27 “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
You are special to Jesus and He loves you greatly. Give Him His due and be amazed at His wonderful grace!