24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. – Romans 7:24-25
The Bible is pretty clear when it comes to the condition of its authors. This is both humbling and encouraging. If Paul, the man who wrote the majority of what we know as the New Testament, cannot measure up, then what hope do we have? We mine as well stop trying so hard. And this is exactly where God wants us. To give up the act. Give up the constant push to be “good”. It is encouraging when we see the Biblical precedent stating we cannot be good enough.
When faced with what we lack, we focus on the What when Paul teaches the Who. Books, self-help, self-discovery, behavior modification, and counseling all are crucial in helping our condition, but Paul offers the final and most important piece in the person of Christ.
So the Gospel goes like this:
You can’t fully measure up
You do what you can, but it only gets so far
Jesus pierces through our humanity
Following Jesus gives us the strength to face the day in grace
Today will have many challenges. You can try to white knuckle it and push through. Or you can give up and let the radical power of a resurrected God make up for what you lack. In His identity, you are no longer among the weak and wretched. Trade in what you lack, for the who that loves you.
Matt simon blog 