“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24-25a NLT)
If you’ve been following Jesus any length of time, you know who quickly becomes you’re worst enemy – the proverbial “man in the mirror!” Because of our sinful nature, our bent to sin, our selfish desire to have everything our way, we become, hands down, our own worst enemy.
Common sense will tell you that you can’t serve yourself and Jesus at the same time. Jesus explained this in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:24: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
The word translated “money” isn’t speaking of literal dollars and cents, rather the things that money can buy; the things that become our treasure; that which becomes bigger and more important than God in our life. Our pursuits, whether in education, business, hobbies, activities, even our kids can become to us the treasure into which we pour, not only our money, but our hearts and lives.
Our focus of choice becomes our reason for living, our purpose, the avenue of our energy and resources. Jesus can come along for the ride, but He mustn’t get in the way of what we want, when we want it. “After all,” we reason, “________ owns my heart!” And the irony is, we often give God the credit for giving us that which has now taken His place.
The tragedy is, all outward appearances point to our nobility for being so “faithful” to whatever it is we’re pursuing that’s robbing us of our relationship with the Lord. “They’re so devoted to _________.” “They’re such a ‘witness’ in the way they – care for their children, property, business, etc.” “How can God not be pleased with them when they’re so committed?”
One of the reasons Satan is so effective in blinding us is because he gives us what we want, then paints it to look like devotion to God. Even church work can rob us of our devotion to Christ. We get so enmeshed and entangled in the work of the Lord, we forget the Lord of the work. We forget why we’re going to so many meetings, volunteering for so many activities, going to bed exhausted and drained every night, so much so the Bible and prayer are a distant memory.
And the irony is, we’re robots going through the motions. We’re emotionless, bordering on lifeless, a “shell” being driven by our “need” to feel needed, yet without being able to see ourselves for who we’ve become. It’s in that context we need to hear Paul’s powerful words: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”
It’s so insidious because we think we’re doing what God wants, when in fact, He’s not even a part of the equation. How can you be delivered from something you don’t even realize has you in bondage? Only a clear picture of the risen Christ can enable us to see ourselves as we must in order to find deliverance, peace, hope, and rest.
John Newton said it well: “Wonderful are the effects when a crucified, glorious Savior is presented to the eye of Faith. This sight destroys the love of sin.” When we understand that sin is anything that gratifies us, even in a sick, religious way, and fails to exalt Jesus, then we can seek forgiveness and wholeness.
Clinging to the Savior, seeking to honor and please Him, praying and desiring to have our lives be lived as vessels of His glory and not allowing anything else but His will to satisfy our heart will enable us to prioritize everything else and put it in its proper place under Christ’s Lordship.
Only salvation in Christ alone by faith alone can give us victory over ourselves.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 