Romans 7:18

Hello friends,

It's a rainy day here in sunny Florida! Oh well, it'll be beautiful tomorrow. Today, I've been reflecting on some thoughts that my friend Glen shared last night at Bay Life Worship Choir - a great evening together, by the way. We were looking at the lyrics of the song Forever Reign http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US# . The opening line says, "You are good, You are good when there's nothing good in me". Glen showed us a verse in Romans that made this idea jump off the page for me. This is what it says:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. (Romans 7:18 ESV)

This is Paul, yes the writer of half of the New Testament, making this confession to us. If even he had issues with doing what is right, who are we to think that we would not have trials, temptations and struggles in this life. If we're relying on our own willpower to keep our Christian lives on the rails we're going to be disappointed. We are human, our faithfulness to our Savior has to be infused with a heaping dose of grace for it to work. To think that we can be Christ-followers otherwise is to devalue His cross and its absolute necessity in this world.

With this truth, we are both humbled and we are buoyed up. We must remember that we can only live for Him as we rely on Him and, that we should not be crushed with the reality of our inevitable failures. Praise God, what a relief! However you're struggling today, be encouraged that He loves us in spite of ourselves and keep on trucking!

Thanks Glen!

Brad