Flat on my face!

So, those good intentions about letting my light shine that I wrote about yesterday, I meant them but, at day’s end, I knew I missed that mark by a mile!  Frustrated by problems and pain, I spent much of the day angry.  I know, too well, the ever present influence of the sources of sin:  the world, the flesh, and the Devil!  I wonder if the Devil read my commitment to let the Light shine and his demons conspired to keep me from that holy calling? (Smile! Nothing so grand as that happened.  My angry day was a demonstration of the power of my sinful nature.) 

 I find this small comfort in the Word.  Even Paul failed and said: "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? " (Romans 7:24, KJV)

Do you find yourself torn between two worlds – one of the Spirit, one of the old sinful nature? 

I refuse to hide my angry sins behind excuses or to blame others for my choices. Were there ‘reasons’ my fuse was short yesterday?  Yes, there were real challenges, but the Lord also offers grace to overcome.  As I reflect this morning, it would be comforting to pretend that my temper was ‘their’ fault, that my failure to take God’s grace is just ‘being human.  However, if I want to grow, I will confess that how I lived is sin, period.

Freedom is found in looking into the mirror and admitting, "It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me." (Romans 7:21-23, NLT)

So, do we make a truce with that disobedience?
Should we choose to stay as we are,  full of good intentions, but falling far short of them?
Is this passage I’ve quoted giving us a pass from growing into the beauty of Christ? 

Some ‘sin and grin.’ They remain childish in faith and practice, slaves to the sinful nature. Christ, our Lord, calls us to grow up in Him, to live in a way that reflects the transformational power of His Spirit, Who lives in us.  How do we do that? Guilt does not work. Rigid self-regulation will not work, either. The Bible says that "These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (Colossians 2:22-24, NIV)  Religion’s wreckage surrounds us!  If we attempt to become godly using human techniques  we will most likely either slip into hypocrisy (out of touch with our own reality) or just give up and walk away.

The paradox is that holiness is found in authenticity. We see our sins without excuse and we own them with profound sorrow.  Don’t stop there!  We also see, in faith, beyond our sin to Christ, Who loves us even as He knows every what, why, and where of our lives.  Paul’s cry about his wretchedness is not the last word. He looks up and seeing the Cross exclaims:  "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4, NIV)

Guilt must not drive us simply to deeper resolve or even to self-hatred.  When we feel the sting of guilt we realize our spiritual bankruptcy and throw ourselves on His grace.  Yes, His is an amazing, undeserved, yet freely granted, gift. His grace is deeper than the pit we dig for ourselves, wider than the gap between our intention and our practice, greater than our guilt.  God’s grace really is amazing.   Today, when you fail, (yes, you will and so will I, at some point) don’t pretend, excuse, or blame.  Confess!  But, make it a full confession – of your sinfulness and of His gift of holiness.  Take what He offers freely to you though at great cost to Himself.  You will find victory over sin precisely at the intersection of your failure and His grace. 

Here is God’s promise to failures:  

"God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful kindness became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more kindness and forgiveness? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?" (Romans 5:20-6:2, NLT)

"And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life." (Romans 6:8, NLT)

___________

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord.

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt.

Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Sin and despair like the sea waves cold,

Threaten the soul with infinite loss.

Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold;

Points to the refuge the mighty Cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide,

What can avail to wash it away?

Look there is flowing a crimson tide,

Whiter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace;

Freely bestowed on all who believe.

You that are longing to see His face,

Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace., grace ,God's grace-

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within!

Grace, grace, God's grace-

Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Daniel Brink Towner | Julia Harriette Johnston

© Words: Public Domain