“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15
I love that Paul penned those words, and I am so thankful that God chose to include them in the Bible. For those two sentences perfectly encapsulate my day to day life.
- I want to read my Bible, but I scroll through social media instead; knowing full well it will only leave me feeling empty and less than.
- I want to spend time with godly women, but instead I bow to my to-do list and cancel, claiming there is just no time; knowing full well that my heart desperately needs the encouragement, accountability and blessing I would receive from those other women.
- I want to serve the Lord, but I allow my fear to keep me stuck in the status quo; knowing full well that I was created for more.
- I want to shout from the rooftops that I have found love, joy and acceptance just as I am from the GREAT I AM, yet I allow insecurities and fear to silence my voice; knowing full well that my silence may cost someone else peace and life.
Yes, I understand Paul’s upside down logic very well. But praise God, I also know that Jesus came to free me from myself—from my sinful upside nature. And that because of God’s grace, and the work of Jesus on the cross, I am no longer lost in my sin—condemned by my weakness and wanderings.
But because the One who lived a perfect life, died in my place and rose again lives—because He lives—I am free from condemnation. I am free from my sin. I am free from…myself.
I will war with sin until I stand before Him, but in the meantime I stand, not as one guilty and condemned, but as one already free and beloved….just as I am—an adored work in progress!
Don’t live trapped in sin that has already been defeated! Turn to the One who triumphed and broke those chains, once and for all. For He stands even now, arms open wide, waiting, longing…for you.
Maybe today you simply need to hear, or be reminded, that you are loved. You are chosen. You are wanted by Love Himself.
Much love,
Jen
