Good morning to all on this cold first Sunday in November. Middle GA was down in the 40's yesterday with wind gusts up to 40 mph. Tomorrow its supposed to be in the 70's again. Nice not to have to worry about weather.
I am continuing my journey in Romans 7 verses 1-25, "Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives? For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress. But if her husband dies, she is released from that law and is not an adulteress if she marries another man. So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. For when we were in the realm of the flesh, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in us, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, become death to me? By no means! Nevertheless, in order that sin might be recognized as sin, it used what is good to bring about my death, so that through the commandment sin might become utterly sinful. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am nonspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin." Amen and may God add a blessing to the reading and hearing of His Word.
The classic struggle between the Flesh and the Spirit! It all starts with our thinking. Whatever you allow yourself mind to dwell on will be acted out in the flesh! If you are overweight and want to lose weight, what do you dwell on. Most people dwell on what they can't eat and find themselves so overwhelmingly hungry that they over eat. If you are out of money and can't pay your bills, you tend to keep your mind on how to get money. For most of us that means finding another job to make ends meet and since we are thinking about money then we spend more to bring us out of our depression. If your are unhappy in your marriage, you dwell on all the things about your spouse that make you unhappy and then when someone comes around that doesn't have those traits you begin to fantasize about how they could more enrich your life. In each situation you are dwelling on what YOU DON'T HAVE!!!
What I think Paul is suggesting is that we turn off our minds and dwell on the abundance of Grace and Mercy supplied to us through the death and resurrection of Christ. For example, a life with Christ is supposed to be liberating and if you don't feel liberated you might want to focus on what bondages are keeping you mired in sinful thinking and living. I can say from experience its because you have an emotional hole in your bucket that you are trying to fill. Joyce Meyers talks about this a lot. She was sexually abused by her father and even when she gave her life to Christ, she held on to the anger that resulted from the abuse. In short, she held on to the emotional devastation inflicted on her. She one day recognized that SIN had caused the devastation. Yes it was acted out by her father but at the root was SIN. Now she also knew that Christ had conquered SIN at the Cross, so why was she still holding onto it. She was finally able to free herself from this bondage by forgiving her father. She later led her father to Christ and he was able to confess his sin to Christ and to her. LIBERATION! She was liberated when she obeyed Christ and forgave--her father was liberated when he confessed his sin and sought restitution by asking for forgiveness. A wonderful loop.
I'll end with this story. This couple had saved money for 2 years so that they could go on this fabulous cruise. They were finally able to pay for it but had no extra money for meals and side trips. They had booked an all inclusive cruise. Their mini bar was filled to the brim with wines, liquors, cheeses and other snacks but they left it untouched because they couldn't afford it. They envied the other guests who dined in splendor every night as they looked through the porthole while walking the deck and eating their sardines, crackers and fruit they brought along. Three days into the cruise, one of the cruise directors stopped them and inquired why they were eating outside. Was the menu too restricted, was there something else he could have prepared for them? Was there a religious reason for their restricted diet? The husband said with some shame, that they were of modest means and had saved for the cruise for two years. They were thrilled to be able to cruise and see this part of the world but didn't have enough money to dine every day. They were saving the occasion for the 2 times they budgeted to eat with other guests. The cruise director looked very sad. They told him not to pity them because they were having the time of their lives. He interrupted them and said he was sad because they obviously didn't know they had prepaid for all their meals. They could have been dining and feasting all along.
Many Christians do not understand that our life of abundance has been PREPAID by the death and resurrection of Christ. I lived many years as a Christian eating the sardines of life because I didn't understand fully what it meant to live a life of abundance. I do now and partake of my abundant life fully. It started with a change in my thinking and my willingness to boldly live my life for Christ. Hence my Sojourn Spiritual walk.
Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.
Stephanie
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