The Trouble Is With Me

Meditations on Romans 

August 19, 2021

The Trouble Is With Me

 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.

Romans 7:19

Read Romans 7:13-20

This passage in Chapter Seven can be a little confusing because our first tendency is to think Paul is speaking autobiographically. He is, but not personally, rather as a spokesman for Israel. Remember, while Paul is speaking personally, he also is making a lament for Israel’s failure to be a witness for God. It is important that we keep this larger vision in mind so we can appropriately apply Paul’s message to our lives and to the lives of our churches. Paul makes the case that it is God’s mission for us to be His witnesses to the world and that the manifestation of our sinful condition causes us to fail in this mission.

My Takeaway: I can think of ten thousand examples where I wanted to do what is good, but I didn’t, and where I didn’t want to do what is wrong, but I did it anyway. Paul’s wants me to come to Jesus over my failures, but not too quickly. Jesus wants me to take time to think through my failures. He is far more concerned with how my failures are complicit with my church’s failure to be a witness for Christ to this fallen world than with me breaking my diet by wolfing down three French Macaron cookies tonight.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.