Daily Devotional For Wednesday, July 24, 2024

Well, Wonderful Wednesday has rolled around again. Some people call this “Hump Day” because you are hallway through the week. If you have ever planted a garden, or tried to keep your yard looking great, have you noticed that weeds and vines seem to grow on their own without any planning or planting? The soil is ideal for growing good crops, what you want, as well as weeds, vines and poison ivy you don’t want. You’d think someone would tell the soil not to do that. 

Oh It is no wonder that Jesus uses the soil of our heart as a metaphor for spiritual growth as well. It is no wonder Jeremiah 17:9 says this: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (ESV). Boy, isn’t that true. Ever had such horrible, sinful thoughts and you thought, “Where in the world did that thought come from?” — the soil of your deceitful heart. This is why we are told this in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep (guard) your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (ESV).

I had a seminary professor of theology named Dr. William Hendricks. And he used to say, "We are a tension filled unity capable of both the divine and the demonic.” Boy, isn’t that the truth. One minute we are charging into battle like Simon Peter defending the Lord and the next minute like Simon Peter we are denying any association with Jesus. One moment we can be praising God and the next minute have all kinds of foul words coming out of our mouths. This is why living with this tension and hypocrisy we have is frustrating. 

We can read Scripture about helping the poor and then we see a beggar on the corner and we ignore them as if they are not there. We can share a Bible verse in a text to someone one minute and the next send a crude joke in a text the next. The Apostle Paul understood this tension and hypocrisy also. Look what he wrote in Romans 7:14b-25:

“The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. (15) I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. (16) But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. (17) So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (18) And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. (19) 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. (20) But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. (21) I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. (22) I love God’s law with all my heart. (23) But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (24) Oh, what a miserable, wretched person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (25) Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin” (NLT).

A lot has been written and preached on this Romans 7:14-25 passage, so let me say this. Based on the context, the Apostle Paul is addressing the most spiritual and mature Christian.  The more they honestly measure themselves against God’s standards of righteousness, the more they realize how much they fall short. The closer we get to God, the more we see our own sin. Look how pastor and author John MacArthur explains it below:

“Thus it is immature, fleshly, and legalistic persons who tend to live under the illusion that they are spiritual and that they measure up well by God’s standards. The level of spiritual insight, brokenness, contrition, and humility that characterize the person depicted in Romans 7 are marks of a spiritual and mature believer, who before God has no trust in his own goodness and achievements. It also seems, as one would naturally suppose from the use of the first person singular (which appears forty-six times in Rom. 7:7–25), that Paul is speaking of himself. Not only is he the subject of this passage, but it is the mature and spiritually seasoned apostle that is portrayed. Only a Christian at the height of spiritual maturity would either experience or be concerned about such deep struggles of heart, mind, and conscience. The more clearly and completely he saw God’s holiness and goodness, the more Paul recognized and grieved over his own sinfulness” (Source: John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, “Romans,” p. 379).

Only a new creation, only a truly redeemed person lives with such tension of sin in comparison to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Why? Lost people, though they bear the image of God, do not bear the Holy Spirit in them. The redeemed are in Christ and are possessed by the Holy Spirit, who convicts them to conform to the image of Christ and His righteousness. But the tension is, sin still clings to us like duct tape to a package. So, even though we hate and despise the sin in our lives, we strive for righteousness and Christlikeness in our lives. It has been said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” I take issue with that. I would say, “As believers, the only thing we have to fear is sin.” Read the words of Puritan writer Thomas Watson below:

“One of the certain signs of “sanctification is an antipathy against sin ... A hypocrite may leave sin, yet love it; as a serpent casts its coat, but keeps its sting; but a sanctified person can say he not only leaves sin, but loathes it . . . God . . . has not only chained up sin, but changed thy nature, and made thee as a king’s daughter, all glorious within. He has put upon thee the breastplate of holiness, which, though it may be shot at, can never be shot through” (Source: Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, pp. 246, 250).

This means the maturing and discipling believer is sensitive to his or her sin. Here are a few truths and realities a genuine believer knows his or sin does:

1. He or she knows sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). 
2. They know their sin dishonors God (1 Cor. 6:19-20). 
3. They know that sin keeps their prayer from being answered (1 Peter 3:12). 
4. The genuine disciple of Jesus Christ knows that their sin causes God to keep good things from them (Jer. 5:25). 
5. They know their sin robs them of the joy of their salvation (Ps. 51:12). 
6. They know their sin inhibits their spiritual growth (1 Cor. 3:1). 
7. They know their sin brings discipline and chastisement from the Lord (Heb. 12:7). 
8. They know their sin prevents them from being a vessel the Lord can use (2 Tim. 2:21).
9. They know that their sin corrupts and pollutes Christian fellowship (1 Cor. 10:21).
10. They know their sin can keep them from participating in The Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:28-29).
11. They know their sin can even affect their health and cost them their life (1 Cor. 11:30; John 5:16).
12. They know God hates all sin (Pr. 6:16-19; Ps. 11:5; Ps. 5:5; Isa. 59:2).

In Romans 7:24, the Apostle Paul uses a word that is translated as “wretched” or “miserable.” It is the Greek New Testament word [ταλαίπωρος, talaiporos]. Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll explains this Greek New Testament word this way:

“In Texas, we have a slang term for squeezing water out of wet clothing. You “wrench” the water out of something when you roll the article up, hold it at either end, and twist in opposite directions. That’s the idea behind “wretched.” Paul described himself as feeling like something had “wrenched” the life out of him. But why? How could this be?

. . .  Let me draw upon a heroin analogy. Most experts agree that cold-turkey withdrawal from heroin addiction is one of the most excruciating ordeals a person can endure. Bone and muscle pain, insomnia, diarrhea, vomiting, and shock-like symptoms usually peak two or three days after the last dose and usually take more than a week to subside. The physical anguish would be enough without the psychological trauma the addict suffers. Yet, even after enduring the torment of withdrawal and moving beyond physical dependence upon the drug, many return to using. 

The problems that encouraged the addict to escape into heroin are still present. And the craving for relief becomes too much to bear alone. Anyone who has experienced physical dependence upon anything will affirm that the craving is never far away. Even chronic smokers who have kicked the habit tell me that, years later, they sometimes long to enjoy a cigarette after a good meal. That’s why drug treatment experts are unanimous in their opinion: Treating the body to overcome physical dependence is only a beginning. The key to lifelong sobriety lies in treating the mind, which is itself a lifelong endeavor. The addict is never really “cured.” The addiction will always be a part of his or her life. However, addicts can remain “in recovery” forever.

All of us are chronically addicted to sin. Long after we are saved, our bodies crave that which gives us short-term pleasure and causes long-term anguish. And the pull to indulge the craving for sin will always be a part of our lives … at least until we are freed from “the body of this death” (7:24). As for the present? “Wretched man that I am!” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, “Romans,” pp. 163-164).

Questions To Consider

1. Do you ever feel like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:14-24? Why or why not? How do you deal with it if you do? Does this work for you? Why or why not?
2. Would you agree that sin is addicting? Why or why not? Which sins are you addicted to and how do you deal with them? Do you ever freel "wrenched" by sin as Chuck Swindoll says above?
3. 2 Corinthians 10:5b says, “Take every thought captive to obey Christ” (ESV). How would you tell a new believer to do that? Do you do that? Why or why not? 
4. Thomas Watson wrote above, “One of the certain signs of “sanctification is an antipathy against sin." Do you hate your sin as God does? Do you genuinely have an antipathy against your sin? Why or why not? If you do, what is the proof? How encouraging is Romans 7:25 to you and why?
5. Read the 12 results of sin listed above in the 12 statements and corresponding Bible verses. Which ones resonate with you and why?

Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (ESV).

Prayer To Pray: “Dear Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and at times love to sin. There are sins I am addicted to in my life. Please forgive me and free me from them. Jesus, I don’t want people to judge You because of me. Please forgive me when I act or think my sins are not as bad as the next person. Sin is sin to you and You hate all sin. Thank You for the help Jesus Christ gives me to have victory over sin in my life. I love You Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside!—Pastor Kelly