Still Wrestling - Day 210 Month 7-28 Week 30-7
Today's Reading (Bible in 1 year)
2 Samuel 5:1-6:11, Proverbs 12:20-28, Ezekiel 16:1-21, Romans 7
Still Wrestling
Marriage is intended to be a lifelong covenant, and when one spouse dies, the surviving spouse is free to remarry.
Full disclosure. I received a little help from AI to explain the next part because it helped me find the right words.
If one spouse dies, the surviving spouse is free to remarry. That is not considered adultery because the marriage covenant has ended with death.
This is the illustration Paul uses in Romans 7 to explain our relationship to God's law. Before Jesus' death, people lived under the Law of Moses. The law itself is holy and good, so Paul is not saying the law has died or become worthless. Instead, through Jesus' death, we have died to the law's claim over us. The law no longer stands over us as the basis of our relationship with God. That is the freedom Paul is describing.
That raises an important question.
If I have been set free from the law, does that mean I no longer sin?
The short answer is no.
Sin is still something we struggle with. There is an ongoing battle between what is right and what is wrong. We delight in God's ways, yet we also find another force within us pulling in the opposite direction. We want to do what is right, but we still fail.
I know exactly what that feels like.
When I sin, I am often fully aware of what I have done almost immediately. Maybe I become angry because of my pride, and as soon as it happens I feel deep conviction, knowing I have acted wrongly.
During the winter, keeping the floor clean at the hardware store is a constant battle against grit, dirt, mud, slush, and road salt. There is almost always a mop bucket ready, and the staff grabs it whenever there is an opportunity to clean the floor.
One day, during a snowstorm, people tracked salt and slush into the store nonstop. I spent almost my entire shift mopping. About fifteen minutes before closing, I had finally put the mop away when my boss called down from his office and told us the entire store needed to be mopped before we left. He had no idea I had already been doing exactly that all day. I felt he was being unreasonable.
I grabbed the mop and bucket again, rushed through the store, emptied the bucket, threw the mop back in, and I was angry. My coworkers could see it. One of them even told me to “pick my battles”, but by then I was well past listening. As I walked past my boss's office on my way out, I let him have it. I told him he should pay more attention to what his employees were doing during the day.
I punched out, drove the five minutes home, and before I reached my driveway, I felt a deep conviction in my heart. I called my boss immediately and apologized. He accepted my apology and apologized to me for not realizing I had been mopping all day. I assume my coworkers had filled him in after I left.
In that moment, I understood Paul's words.
“Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24).
The good news is that God has set us free from sin's penalty through Jesus Christ. Even though we still struggle with sin, we no longer stand condemned because of it.
Like Paul, I am deeply thankful that Jesus paid the penalty for my sins.
Our desire is to serve God, yet we continue to battle our sinful nature every day. That struggle remains part of life, but it is not the end of the story. Paul begins Romans 8 by showing us where our hope is found.
Have a great day!
Steve
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