Saturday 24 October 2009

Background

In yesterday's reading from Romans chapter 7, Paul (thewriter of the letter to the Romans) expressed the frustration thatmany Christians feel when they struggle to live up to the exampleset by Jesus. We often mean well and want to make the rightdecisions, but somehow we struggle to put that into concreteaction.

Paul doesn't want his readers to get stuck at Romans chapter 7. Butonce we have reached the place where we recognise our ownweaknesses, only then can we fully appreciate just how much we needGod.

In today's reading, Paul speaks undoubtedly some of the mostencouraging words the Bible has to offer. He says that no matterhow hard we struggle, we can be confident that Christ has set usfree from the restraints and shame of sin. If God's Spirit lives inus, we can be what God wants us to be. We can serve our higherimpulses rather than our baser ones.

But not with our own strength and not without struggle: recognisingour own needs, we have to draw on God's resources and set our mindson God's spirit. It seems that we can spend so much time bemoaningthe human condition - our lack of self-control, our selfishness,our weaknesses... that we forget the power of God that upholds andguides us.

If there's an issue you're struggling with and human wisdom simplyisn't working, perhaps it's time to get your head in the clouds,focus your mind on God's Spirit and take a God's eye view.

To Ponder

What would a God's eye view of your situationlook like today?

Have there been times when you have tried to relyon your own strength, without God's help? What happened?