Transformation
| Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Romans8:5 |
Most of us will admit that we promise to do all sorts of things: Eat less, exercise more, stress less and so on... but we struggle to act on our good intentions. We tend to struggle to cultivate good habits and easily fall into bad ones.
While many of us would argue that we are generally good, it seems that brokenness is like a gorilla that hides in the cupboard and jumps out when we least expect it. We want to be pleasing to God, but then we do things that sabotage the progress we have made.
It's easy to get depressed and frustrated by this. Paul calls the cupboard gorilla the "old man" and he wrestles with the brokenness and darkness that his sinful nature brings into his life. In Romans 7 he comes to the peak of his frustration and exclaims - "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
Then, in ch.8 he introduces us to the beautiful and comforting truth that we do not have to try and be good and righteous and holy by ourselves, but that we can live by the transforming power of God's Spirit. We can make better choices and answer to a higher calling.
This doesn't happen instantly and it isn't that the Holy Spirit is a body snatcher, but rather that we learn to walk in step with the Spirit, listening to His prompting and waiting for His strength.
And so the promise in Philippians 1:6 is very apt: [Paul prays...] "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
