What Paul is grateful for #1
For this week we'll be looking at the things that Paul is specifically grateful for. (We've already seen that he's grateful for his various congregations.)In his letter to the church in Rome, Paul describes his struggle with his sinful nature. Most of chapter 7 is about this battle: There are good things that he wants to do, but somehow never gets to actually doing them. There are temptations he wants to resist, but ends up doing exactly what he didn't want to do.
Does this sound familiar???
No matter how hard we try, we keep on stumbling over our weaknesses. We keep falling into temptation and we keep missing the great opportunities we get to do it right...
Paul is desperate to be liberated from this endless cycle:
"Who will rescue me from this body of death?"
The Good News is that there is a Rescuer.
His name is Jesus.
Jesus broke the chains of sin and death and sends us His Holy Spirit who will set us free from from sin and death.
Paul is thank-full: We don't have to struggle alone. We have been rescued. God places His Spirit in us. We can overcome our brokenness.
Read these powerful verses below and bring your thanks to God too.
| So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! .... 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans7:21-8:2) |
