I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” vs. 15
Romans 7:15-20
There’s probably not a person on the planet who could not identify with what Paul says here, particularly if they’ve ever had a golfing experience! In that particular sport, athletes approach each shot with definite expectations, and again and again they are horribly disappointed. No matter how much they might want to make the perfect shot, they regularly hate the results. And that’s exactly how it seems as we engage with the challenges of daily living. Even when we’ve established a pattern of good decision making and seem to be in control of our words and actions, we can’t seem to avoid doing exactly what we didn’t want to say or do. And it can drive us to distraction! It would be nice if, like some golfers, we could blame some outside factor, but the truth is that the problem lies within. Paul calls it sin, a kind of metastasizing spiritual cancer that threatens our God-given goodness. And even though we know that in Christ there is forgiveness and restoration, we will battle this enemy until the day we die. But that doesn’t mean we need to live with self-loathing and despair. Just as golfers discover that the ugly shots make the good ones all the sweeter, we sinners find that sin can never destroy the joy that life in Christ can bring.
Thought for the Day: How do I deal with my spiritual cancer?
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