Scripture
The good which I want to do, I fail to do; but what I do is the wrong which is against my will, clearly it is no longer I who am the agent, but sin that has it’s dwelling in me.
~Romans 7:19-20, REB
Quote
Out present culture has drifted so far from the truth that now we are demanding that our sins be called rights.
~Ya’akov
I am reading the New English Bible which I had some doubts about at first but boy was I wrong! In yesterday’s reading, I saw two things that I’d never seen before: Revelation 12:12 and the passage above from Romans seven. The passage in Revelation says, “Rejoice, you who dwell in heaven! [But] Woe to those on earth, the devil has been thrown out of heaven and is now on earth and he’s angry.” The passage in Romans has always puzzled me as I have racked my brain trying to figure out what Paul was saying. If your experience is my experience, you will grow to hate your sin more and more. To LORD convicted me in Tuesday nights prayer meeting: I am far too impetuous and far to quick to find fault. When I see this in others, the LORD gently reminds me that I am looking at myself.
What really bugs the stew out of me is doing the same dumb things over and over. There are things I pray about and I reach a point where I think I am healed and them bingo, out of the clear blue I react and what do you know, I have done it again. At Landon’s game last Friday: we had the lead and needed to manage the clock. We had been running the ball effectively all night and what do you know–we throw a low percentage pass and stop the clock and on first down. I hollowed immediately, “Run the ball.” The coaches may not have heard me but everyone else did: I have so little patience with people. Is that the way I want to act? No! Am I ashamed of my anger and impatience? Yes! Why do I do such dumb things when I hate doing them? It is because SIN [the principle] is rooted deeply in my flesh.
I know, some of you are swelling up right now. You are like the old Pharisee who prayed, “Thank You God, that I am not like Bro. Jack.” I hear you clucking but there is only one difference between the two of us: I’m hypocritical and I know it–You are hypocritical and don’t know it. You may not be impetuous but are you sin-free? You may say, “I have enough sense not to act out my sin,” so that makes you a more polished hypocrite right! If you would be honest, you will have to admit that Paul’s problem and my problem is also your problem. In spite of the fact that we don’t want to, we still commit sin.
Now they are saying one more extremely hot day but I don’t believe them. Last week they said it would be Monday, then they said Tuesday, then Wednesday and now today. It reached 100 yesterday which is a record. We have a ton of leaves but not from cool weather, the drought is causing the leaves to fall and I’m not about to mulch them in this weather.
Well, I think it is settled: Big Mama and I are going to Guatemala. We had a trip planned to the mountains and not it is Guatemala. I just felt impressed to go: may the LORD’s will be done.
I need prayer today. I’ve got to do something I don’t want to do and I dread it.