More Boundless Grace

 ^“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”  Romans 7:15-18

I am to say the least, a mess.

How about you?  I lay in bed this morning talking to the Lord. I quoted some scripture, prayed for others, said the Lord’s prayer, and it was like He said – why don’t you just be honest and tell me what is on your heart.  I repented of some sins, one was losing my temper yesterday, and some unsavory words that came out of my mouth.  Fortunately, they were not directed at anyone, but just everything of late seems to be a challenge – from loading up my truck for a trip down south, for waiting in Dr’s offices, for always being in a hurry and something always gets in the way.

From my studies at DTS, I have learned a great deal.  One repeated ad nauseum is how much God abhors pride and exalts the humble.  We know that Peter denied Christ three times.  Yet in Luke 5, examine Peter’s heart – after the great catch of fish miracle, he says to Jesus, “Get away  from me Lord, I am a sinful man.”  And in the breakfast by the sea (John 20),  Peter bails out of the boat, the first to reach His Master.  Jesus’ final instructions to Peter was to feed His sheep. Which He did as Jesus said he would and founded the Church.

I am not in the camp that believes striving for perfection gets an upgrade for my ticket to heaven.  Quoting Paul in the intro, after saying we are no longer slaves to sin In Romans 6, he goes into a discussion of the law in Chapter 7, and being a slave to sin, and then says he can’t do what he should do – and doesn’t understand himself. Guess, I am in the same boat.  I have had discussions with people who say  this was before Paul became a Christian but read it closely and note that it is in the present tense.  Paul was a gifted and brilliant writer with Divine inspiration and intervention, if he had conquered by self-discipline sin issues, he would have said, I used to be this way.

We should not want to sin for certain and should avoid sin in everyway we can. But achieving our sanctification will not be realized until we cross the River Jordan.  God loves obedience, and Jesus says in the book of John to keep His commandments and He will dwell with us.  The first step in obedience is repentance and coming to grips that I still have a sinful nature. Again Ephesians 2:8 – “we are saved by grace.”  It is a gift from God,  not of works, “so that no one should boast.”  The Lord gave Paul the thorn in his side so that he would not become arrogant, and He told Paul, “My grace is sufficient.” (2 Corinthians 12)

God used and still uses imperfect people to do His work.  If you are a mess today, cut yourself some slack.  Pray as David did to “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”  (Psalm 51:10). As for me I am going to quit striving – when I fail, I will confess, and thank the Lord for His boundless grace, and that my friends assuredly is the Good News.  Amen!