Isaiah 5:11-12 (NLT)
11 What sorrow for those who get up early in the morning
looking for a drink of alcohol
and spend long evenings drinking wine
to make themselves flaming drunk.
12 They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties—
lyre and harp, tambourine and flute—
but they never think about the Lord
or notice what he is doing.
That last part really struck me today, “... but they never think about the Lord, or notice what he is doing.”
That sounds VERY SAD to me. Not from God’s perspective, because the Lord is totally self-suficient; He doesn’t have the human desire or the human anxiety & need to be recognised, noticed & affirmed! No, it is sad from the perspective of people who DON’T notice the subtle, wonderful things God is doing. They are the ones who are missing out, & Big Time!
God’s not a KillJoy!
In the “story” above (Isaiah 5:11-12) we have a word picture description of people who seem to be having fun: partying, drinking, making music, revelling, grand parties. That sounds like a good description of fun... until you read the last part, “... but they never think about the Lord, or notice what he is doing.” It seems to me that this Bible passage is suggesting that God does things that are fully observable: anyone can see them, the problem is that not everyone NOTICES them. We can have fun (parties, music, etc) & that’s OK - no problem there. But if that is the height of what we do; the pinnacle of what we do, then I think we have missed a higher purpose or meaning in our lives. Parties can be fun, no doubt about that. It’s great to be with friends, having a laugh. And I believe the Lord provides us with these opportunities - & expects us to enjoy them too! He’s no “kill joy”, after all! But I think the Lord also wants us to notice what He is doing after the party comes to an end; when we are quiet; when we are reflecting on the events of the party, or other events of our lives.
Imagine a life-long party!
We imagine that if life was one long 70-80 year party that we would have fun all the time. But actually I think we need variety; changes in pace within our lives. Quiet, reflective times are useful, & act as accents & counter-points to the more quick-paced, fun-loving, party times. I think a life-long party would become pretty stale & pretty boring after the first 3-4 days, never mind the first 3-4 years!
Missing out.
If we “never think about the Lord, or notice what he is doing” then I think we miss out on some pretty amazing, wonderful, subtle, mysterious, awe-inspiring things. For me, THINKING about the Lord & what He is doing is great fun, encouraging, faith-building, & life-affirming. It helps me to enjoy the parties, AND enjoy the quieter times too. I like to notice the “little” things in life. I like to ponder & question & wonder about stuff: large-scale & minute. And amongst all my musings & thoughts, there I find the Lord... “walking” along beside my thought-self, quietly, subtly conversing with me. The Lord God, supreme being, King above all others, Creator & sustainer of the whole universe - this person who deserves everyone’s attention; who is most able & most capable; who is subtle & mysterious & wonderful & amazing... He deigns to “walk” beside me, & wants to talk to me - Wow! He enjoys showing me “stuff”, He seems to enjoy me noticing what He is doing...
... He wants to talk to YOU too... will you “give him the time of day”? Will you allow God to “speak” to you through a sunset; through something that someone says to you? Through a thought or an event in your life? God seems to enjoy us noticing what He is doing, though He is never anxious that we notice what He is doing. I think He just likes to SHARE WITH US the various things He does. It’s about relationship, after all.
For me, one of the saddest things in this life is to consider people who are “blind” to the subtle works of God, & who only live for the more obvious things... like the fun of the party. You’re SO missing out! Look up from the party floor & notice what God is doing... He really will AMAZE YOU with what He is doing... if you let Him get your attention first.
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Monday, 9 September 2013
But God doesn’t give the seed...does He?
I read 2 Corinthians 9:6-11 this morning (which you can see below), which is a figure of speech about farmers sowing & harvesting crops.
What struck me about the passage?
It was the thought that Christians CREDIT GOD with the provision of seeds for a farmer to sow; that we credit God with making the seeds grow & produce a harvest & that we credit God (& give thanks to Him) for enabling the farmer to grind the harvested seeds to make bread to eat. All of that is seen as “evidence” for holding the view that their is a God who cares & provides for us.
For atheists, evolutionists, & people who do not believe in a supreme being, they see EXACTLY the same information (seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread) but they do not credit a supreme being with any involvement in any of that.
So what struck me about this passage?... It was simply the fact that EXACTLY THE SAME information or “evidence” can be seen by different people, of different convictions, & INTERPRETED IN TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAYS. It was the realisation that there is probably no “evidence” at all which can categorically prove one thing to be absolutely true, beyond all doubt... simply because someone else can come along & interpret the same data in a completely different way.
I suppose that is why INFORMATION & EVIDENCE, of itself, can be unconvincing in support of one persons views, simply because exactly the same data can be interpreted in exactly the opposite direction, as a counter-argument! So, for me (a Christian), the existence of seeds, plants, the mystery of plant growth, harvesting & bread are all “evidence” of the existence of a loving & caring God. But I realise that EXACTLY THE SAME information or “evidence” (seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread) can be given a completely different interpretation by atheists & evolutionists, who would see that as evidence of their views on the non-existence of God & proof of their evolutionary ideas.
So it’s all really a matter of how we interpret the data we have. This is probably obvious to everyone else, but it was interesting for me to note this, this morning!
And for me personally, I’m still more than happy to interpret the data (of seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread, etc) as “evidence” for the existence of a loving, caring God who wants the very best for us.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NLT)
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”[1] 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” [2]
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity [3] in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem [4] will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
[1] Prov 22:8.
[2] Ps 112:9.
[3] Greek: righteousness.
[4] Greek: of God’s holy people.
What struck me about the passage?
It was the thought that Christians CREDIT GOD with the provision of seeds for a farmer to sow; that we credit God with making the seeds grow & produce a harvest & that we credit God (& give thanks to Him) for enabling the farmer to grind the harvested seeds to make bread to eat. All of that is seen as “evidence” for holding the view that their is a God who cares & provides for us.
For atheists, evolutionists, & people who do not believe in a supreme being, they see EXACTLY the same information (seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread) but they do not credit a supreme being with any involvement in any of that.
So what struck me about this passage?... It was simply the fact that EXACTLY THE SAME information or “evidence” can be seen by different people, of different convictions, & INTERPRETED IN TOTALLY DIFFERENT WAYS. It was the realisation that there is probably no “evidence” at all which can categorically prove one thing to be absolutely true, beyond all doubt... simply because someone else can come along & interpret the same data in a completely different way.
I suppose that is why INFORMATION & EVIDENCE, of itself, can be unconvincing in support of one persons views, simply because exactly the same data can be interpreted in exactly the opposite direction, as a counter-argument! So, for me (a Christian), the existence of seeds, plants, the mystery of plant growth, harvesting & bread are all “evidence” of the existence of a loving & caring God. But I realise that EXACTLY THE SAME information or “evidence” (seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread) can be given a completely different interpretation by atheists & evolutionists, who would see that as evidence of their views on the non-existence of God & proof of their evolutionary ideas.
So it’s all really a matter of how we interpret the data we have. This is probably obvious to everyone else, but it was interesting for me to note this, this morning!
And for me personally, I’m still more than happy to interpret the data (of seeds, plant growth, harvest, bread, etc) as “evidence” for the existence of a loving, caring God who wants the very best for us.
2 Corinthians 9:6-11 (NLT)
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”[1] 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,
“They share freely and give generously to the poor.
Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” [2]
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity [3] in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem [4] will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
[1] Prov 22:8.
[2] Ps 112:9.
[3] Greek: righteousness.
[4] Greek: of God’s holy people.
Friday, 6 September 2013
But do I have to go to church?!
Some additional thoughts regarding my previous blog post: “Freedom” versus Belonging
The Lord provides a safe zone: with a sense of belonging.
For me, the sense of belonging (to God) far, FAR outweighs any possible feeling of being “corralled” by His rules. When we discern the true nature of God’s “rules” THEN we begin to understand the purpose of them, & can correctly infer the motivation of God: which is LOVE for us & utter dedication to our welfare.
God’s “rules” are not something that are designed to curtail our freedom, or fun or enjoyment in life. They are not deliberately sent to cause us doom & gloom! Quite the opposite: God wants us to enjoy our lives to the full. He is committed to our freedom & our welfare.
The point of worship.
The greatest expression of our freedom & welfare is in our CHOICE to worship God. God doesn’t NEED our worship; God is entirely self-sufficient. Our free will worship of God reveals our RELATIONSHIP with Him: our commitment to Him. If we have a relationship with God then we understand who He is & what He has done, & that knowledge leads to spontaneous worship: gratitude, thanksgiving & praise of an all-might & all-loving God in heaven. Worship is automatic when we begin to fathom the depth, breadth & commitment of God’s love for us & all His created cosmos.
The Lord of the heavenly hosts receives glory when we live our lives in devotion to him. Worship & trust in God brings Him the glory that is rightfully his.
But do I have to go to church?!
Church attendance is not mandatory for a Christian... it’s just a really good idea!
Yes, it’s possible to worship God all on our own. Yes, it’s possible to relate to other people by not attending church. Church attendance is useful in terms of encouraging one another in our faith in God.
Church... and me!
As a person who is MUCH happier on my own, rather than in company, I can completely understand people’s reservation about going to church. Just about every time I go to my local church I go with trepidation! But I realise that the fallible church, full of hurt human beings is a good place to be, even if it doesn’t feel like that!
For me, it’s not so much about belonging to a church congregation, it’s about BELONGING TO GOD. Attending church is simply one way that my allegiance to the Lord is publically DEMONSTRATED. Sure, I could find a hundred & one other things I’d much rather do than going to church on a Sunday morning! And our local congregation has it’s foibles, problems, issues, etc, just like every other human organisation, which can make it even more tempting not to attend church! But my attendance at that congregation (or any congregation for that matter!) has a higher, heavenly purpose, than simply going along “because I should”!!!
I admit, I find it difficult sometimes to go to church. It doesn’t come naturally, at least not for me. I think that’s because I enjoy my own company & I often find that being around other people “costs” me emotionally. But, as I pointed out, I answer to a “higher calling” of God, even when He & I know that answering that call will cost me something. I wouldn’t choose to attend church, or lead a house group (a mini-church on a Wednesday evening), or be involved in children’s work, or run an art & craft stall at Messy Church once a month, or be involved with an Alpha course. But I know that my activities honour God, and that’s the higher purpose that I am alluding to.
My natural inclination is to remain on my own... and mercifully, in most of my working life I am able to do that! But I mustn’t remain in my “natural” state. Jesus died & rose again: saving me & my soul in the process, & for that reason alone I owe Him everything I am, even (& especially?) when it costs me something.
The Lord provides a safe zone: with a sense of belonging.
For me, the sense of belonging (to God) far, FAR outweighs any possible feeling of being “corralled” by His rules. When we discern the true nature of God’s “rules” THEN we begin to understand the purpose of them, & can correctly infer the motivation of God: which is LOVE for us & utter dedication to our welfare.
God’s “rules” are not something that are designed to curtail our freedom, or fun or enjoyment in life. They are not deliberately sent to cause us doom & gloom! Quite the opposite: God wants us to enjoy our lives to the full. He is committed to our freedom & our welfare.
The point of worship.
The greatest expression of our freedom & welfare is in our CHOICE to worship God. God doesn’t NEED our worship; God is entirely self-sufficient. Our free will worship of God reveals our RELATIONSHIP with Him: our commitment to Him. If we have a relationship with God then we understand who He is & what He has done, & that knowledge leads to spontaneous worship: gratitude, thanksgiving & praise of an all-might & all-loving God in heaven. Worship is automatic when we begin to fathom the depth, breadth & commitment of God’s love for us & all His created cosmos.
The Lord of the heavenly hosts receives glory when we live our lives in devotion to him. Worship & trust in God brings Him the glory that is rightfully his.
But do I have to go to church?!
Church attendance is not mandatory for a Christian... it’s just a really good idea!
Yes, it’s possible to worship God all on our own. Yes, it’s possible to relate to other people by not attending church. Church attendance is useful in terms of encouraging one another in our faith in God.
Church... and me!
As a person who is MUCH happier on my own, rather than in company, I can completely understand people’s reservation about going to church. Just about every time I go to my local church I go with trepidation! But I realise that the fallible church, full of hurt human beings is a good place to be, even if it doesn’t feel like that!
For me, it’s not so much about belonging to a church congregation, it’s about BELONGING TO GOD. Attending church is simply one way that my allegiance to the Lord is publically DEMONSTRATED. Sure, I could find a hundred & one other things I’d much rather do than going to church on a Sunday morning! And our local congregation has it’s foibles, problems, issues, etc, just like every other human organisation, which can make it even more tempting not to attend church! But my attendance at that congregation (or any congregation for that matter!) has a higher, heavenly purpose, than simply going along “because I should”!!!
I admit, I find it difficult sometimes to go to church. It doesn’t come naturally, at least not for me. I think that’s because I enjoy my own company & I often find that being around other people “costs” me emotionally. But, as I pointed out, I answer to a “higher calling” of God, even when He & I know that answering that call will cost me something. I wouldn’t choose to attend church, or lead a house group (a mini-church on a Wednesday evening), or be involved in children’s work, or run an art & craft stall at Messy Church once a month, or be involved with an Alpha course. But I know that my activities honour God, and that’s the higher purpose that I am alluding to.
My natural inclination is to remain on my own... and mercifully, in most of my working life I am able to do that! But I mustn’t remain in my “natural” state. Jesus died & rose again: saving me & my soul in the process, & for that reason alone I owe Him everything I am, even (& especially?) when it costs me something.
Wednesday, 4 September 2013
“Freedom” versus Belonging
Isn’t Christianity simply a set of rules you have to follow?
People who criticise the Christian faith often see it as being no more than a set of oppressive, prescriptive rules, with a strong sense of “You can’t do this”, or “You can’t do that”.
My experience is the EXACT OPPOSITE! Having been a Christian for about 30 years I would say that there are very few God-given rules. And ALL of the ones God has given us are actually for our benefit. Far from being prescriptive & oppressive, the “rules” of the Lord are ALL for our good. He is like a parent who warns a child against a danger. Of course, the child can still go & do the dangerous thing anyway, & get hurt in the process. God doesn’t want us to get hurt, but He is committed to our freedom of choice & so won’t stop us from choosing to hurt ourselves, if we are bent on doing that.
Dangers around the bend in our life choices.
In terms of understanding God’s MOTIVATION, it is not that he wants to “spoil our fun”. That is not the purpose of “all those rules”! It is simply that God knows what is good for us, & what is not, & his “rules” help us to determine which is which. All of his directives are to MAXIMISE our freedoms, not minimise them.
God’s foresight is a lot better than our own. He can “see over the hedges” & “see around the corners of our life’s “roads” much further than we can. We might think our choice(s) will send us towards something good, but often we can not see the hidden dangers of our own choices. We can not see the “potholes” in the roads of our lives. The Lord’s warnings to us are to help us; to prevent us from following a course of action that may harm us, &/or other people. The problem is, WE OFTEN CAN’T SEE that far ahead of our own choices in life; what the consequences will be. We can’t see over the “hedges”, or “round the bends” of our life’s road, so we don’t REALLY know where our choices will take us. But God does know, & He really wants us to be successful, & happy & healthy. That’s why He warns us of impending disaster, if we follow the course we are set on.
The question is: WILL WE LISTEN?
Will we trust God to lead us away from the dangerous situations we have inadvertently chosen?
The only way we will do that is if we TRUST God.
Do you?
Willfulness gets us into hot water!
The problem comes when we become willful; when we INSIST on going our own way; doing our own thing, even despite God’s warnings. As Proverbs 14:12 reminds us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” The thing(s) we do; the new things we try may seem OK to us, at least initially, but sometimes they will lead us towards hurts, downfalls & real dangers which we can not (yet) see. It’s at times like that which God will try to tell us (as a loving heavenly Father) that our choices may lead to our own hurt, or the hurt of other people, through our actions & choices.
But if we choose to ignore God & do the thing anyway, then who is actually at fault? Can we blame God... No. It is our (poor, shortsighted) choice which led to our misery or injury, not God’s. We can not blame Him for our willfulness. Nor can we shout “You didn’t warn me!”... because God HAS, in the Bible. All those “oppressive, prescriptive rules” that people bang on about are there PRECISELY for one purpose: to keep us safe from harming ourselves, or anyone else for that matter.
God would be negligent if He DIDN’T warn us!
As I wrote earlier, my experience of the Lord is that he is utterly committed to me & giving me freedom to achieve & enjoy many things in life. But if I veer off course & approach something dangerous, then He can warn me. That’s God being like a parent. How can I complain about that? Wouldn’t I consider a human parent UTTERLY NEGLIGENT (and UN-loving) if he/she DIDN’T warn me of impending danger or hurt?
Why then do non-Christians consider God’s warnings (in the Bible) to be oppressive & prescriptive, when all the Lord is doing is trying to keep them safe? They are really being unkind & almost deliberately misunderstanding what the Lord’s loving nature, & His revealed wisdom (in the Bible), is really all about.
... And always let your conscience be your guide!
Real freedom, where I can be secure & safe, comes from knowing that my choices are right, both for me & for other people who my actions may influence. When I’m unsure of what to do, God is there to help me see the right thing. That knowledge is in the Bible. He also “talks” to us through our own conscience. God has set the eternal within the heart of every person, & our conscience is a vital way of letting us know what is good & what is bad, both for us personally & for other people.
Conclusions.
1) God is for us, not against us. As Romans 8:29-30 (NLT) reminds us:
‘For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son [Jesus the Christ], so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.’
2) It’s not actually about following rules at all. The history of the Hebrew people proves that! Most of the Old Testament shows how people who try to follow rules INEVITABLY FAIL in that attempt, no mater how hard they try.
What’s the point of the Bible... what’s the message then? It’s actually God showing us that following a set of rules (no matter how good they may be) will not make us holy, or happy, for that matter!
The point of the Bible’s long Old Testament narrative is to show us that the one thing we REALLY NEED, in order to get our lives in order & “fly straight & true” is to get into relationship with the living God, Jesus the Christ.
3) God doesn’t want us to slavishly obey his rules, or else! He wants us to feel safe & secure; to recognise that He loves us; to know that we BELONG - that’s where the sense of freedom comes from.
4) If we’re “hung up” about the rules of God, then we actually missed the point of the Bible’s message.
The Bible’s message is this: God really loves you... He really, really, REALLY loves you. He really, really, really loves YOU.
People who criticise the Christian faith often see it as being no more than a set of oppressive, prescriptive rules, with a strong sense of “You can’t do this”, or “You can’t do that”.
My experience is the EXACT OPPOSITE! Having been a Christian for about 30 years I would say that there are very few God-given rules. And ALL of the ones God has given us are actually for our benefit. Far from being prescriptive & oppressive, the “rules” of the Lord are ALL for our good. He is like a parent who warns a child against a danger. Of course, the child can still go & do the dangerous thing anyway, & get hurt in the process. God doesn’t want us to get hurt, but He is committed to our freedom of choice & so won’t stop us from choosing to hurt ourselves, if we are bent on doing that.
Dangers around the bend in our life choices.
In terms of understanding God’s MOTIVATION, it is not that he wants to “spoil our fun”. That is not the purpose of “all those rules”! It is simply that God knows what is good for us, & what is not, & his “rules” help us to determine which is which. All of his directives are to MAXIMISE our freedoms, not minimise them.
God’s foresight is a lot better than our own. He can “see over the hedges” & “see around the corners of our life’s “roads” much further than we can. We might think our choice(s) will send us towards something good, but often we can not see the hidden dangers of our own choices. We can not see the “potholes” in the roads of our lives. The Lord’s warnings to us are to help us; to prevent us from following a course of action that may harm us, &/or other people. The problem is, WE OFTEN CAN’T SEE that far ahead of our own choices in life; what the consequences will be. We can’t see over the “hedges”, or “round the bends” of our life’s road, so we don’t REALLY know where our choices will take us. But God does know, & He really wants us to be successful, & happy & healthy. That’s why He warns us of impending disaster, if we follow the course we are set on.
The question is: WILL WE LISTEN?
Will we trust God to lead us away from the dangerous situations we have inadvertently chosen?
The only way we will do that is if we TRUST God.
Do you?
Willfulness gets us into hot water!
The problem comes when we become willful; when we INSIST on going our own way; doing our own thing, even despite God’s warnings. As Proverbs 14:12 reminds us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” The thing(s) we do; the new things we try may seem OK to us, at least initially, but sometimes they will lead us towards hurts, downfalls & real dangers which we can not (yet) see. It’s at times like that which God will try to tell us (as a loving heavenly Father) that our choices may lead to our own hurt, or the hurt of other people, through our actions & choices.
But if we choose to ignore God & do the thing anyway, then who is actually at fault? Can we blame God... No. It is our (poor, shortsighted) choice which led to our misery or injury, not God’s. We can not blame Him for our willfulness. Nor can we shout “You didn’t warn me!”... because God HAS, in the Bible. All those “oppressive, prescriptive rules” that people bang on about are there PRECISELY for one purpose: to keep us safe from harming ourselves, or anyone else for that matter.
God would be negligent if He DIDN’T warn us!
As I wrote earlier, my experience of the Lord is that he is utterly committed to me & giving me freedom to achieve & enjoy many things in life. But if I veer off course & approach something dangerous, then He can warn me. That’s God being like a parent. How can I complain about that? Wouldn’t I consider a human parent UTTERLY NEGLIGENT (and UN-loving) if he/she DIDN’T warn me of impending danger or hurt?
Why then do non-Christians consider God’s warnings (in the Bible) to be oppressive & prescriptive, when all the Lord is doing is trying to keep them safe? They are really being unkind & almost deliberately misunderstanding what the Lord’s loving nature, & His revealed wisdom (in the Bible), is really all about.
... And always let your conscience be your guide!
Real freedom, where I can be secure & safe, comes from knowing that my choices are right, both for me & for other people who my actions may influence. When I’m unsure of what to do, God is there to help me see the right thing. That knowledge is in the Bible. He also “talks” to us through our own conscience. God has set the eternal within the heart of every person, & our conscience is a vital way of letting us know what is good & what is bad, both for us personally & for other people.
Conclusions.
1) God is for us, not against us. As Romans 8:29-30 (NLT) reminds us:
‘For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son [Jesus the Christ], so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.’
2) It’s not actually about following rules at all. The history of the Hebrew people proves that! Most of the Old Testament shows how people who try to follow rules INEVITABLY FAIL in that attempt, no mater how hard they try.
What’s the point of the Bible... what’s the message then? It’s actually God showing us that following a set of rules (no matter how good they may be) will not make us holy, or happy, for that matter!
The point of the Bible’s long Old Testament narrative is to show us that the one thing we REALLY NEED, in order to get our lives in order & “fly straight & true” is to get into relationship with the living God, Jesus the Christ.
3) God doesn’t want us to slavishly obey his rules, or else! He wants us to feel safe & secure; to recognise that He loves us; to know that we BELONG - that’s where the sense of freedom comes from.
4) If we’re “hung up” about the rules of God, then we actually missed the point of the Bible’s message.
The Bible’s message is this: God really loves you... He really, really, REALLY loves you. He really, really, really loves YOU.
Thursday, 1 August 2013
The Lord does a lot more than we expect sometimes!
Last month (July 2013) I made some design changes to the Bible Cartoons website, but in the process I accidentally deleted the purchase buttons... so no-one could buy any cartoons. Oops! That had quite an effect on sales, such that, towards the end of the month I didn’t have much hope of achieving our sales target.
But hang on one minute...
...I was forgetting that we serve an amazing, profound, miracle-working God, who sustains all things... including our sales!
In the last few days of July we have not only had enough sales to reach our original (quite modest) sales target, but we have had sales way, way, WAY above that! I’m still picking myself up off the floor over this!
Don’t get me wrong: I’ve got faith; I’ve got belief in a miracle-performing God called Jesus. I’ve seen Him do amazing things before. But somehow I didn’t expect this result. It’s almost as if the Lord wants me to recognise again that He controls EVERYTHING that happens to us/me. I believe He is urging me to believe more... MUCH more, in His sovereign rule, authority, control & above all HIS LOVE for us/me.
Sometimes we can sort of “forget” that God loves us. We hear it quite often & I know I can sort of fail to realise just how MUCH God really does love me, and indeed, us all. I think I’ve been having a bit of a “downer” on myself lately, which is always a danger for me. But this amazing sales result has “brought me up short” & really shocked me (in a good way!) & helped me to realise that God is trying to get my attention; He seems to be “proving” His love for me in this lavish, unexpected way.
Apart from achieving a sales target I didn’t think we would, I find myself believing for other things too, miracles concerning family, friends, complete strangers. I really hope that my faith is stirred up & built up & this is not just another “flash in the pan” for me.
But hang on one minute...
...I was forgetting that we serve an amazing, profound, miracle-working God, who sustains all things... including our sales!
In the last few days of July we have not only had enough sales to reach our original (quite modest) sales target, but we have had sales way, way, WAY above that! I’m still picking myself up off the floor over this!
Don’t get me wrong: I’ve got faith; I’ve got belief in a miracle-performing God called Jesus. I’ve seen Him do amazing things before. But somehow I didn’t expect this result. It’s almost as if the Lord wants me to recognise again that He controls EVERYTHING that happens to us/me. I believe He is urging me to believe more... MUCH more, in His sovereign rule, authority, control & above all HIS LOVE for us/me.
Sometimes we can sort of “forget” that God loves us. We hear it quite often & I know I can sort of fail to realise just how MUCH God really does love me, and indeed, us all. I think I’ve been having a bit of a “downer” on myself lately, which is always a danger for me. But this amazing sales result has “brought me up short” & really shocked me (in a good way!) & helped me to realise that God is trying to get my attention; He seems to be “proving” His love for me in this lavish, unexpected way.
Apart from achieving a sales target I didn’t think we would, I find myself believing for other things too, miracles concerning family, friends, complete strangers. I really hope that my faith is stirred up & built up & this is not just another “flash in the pan” for me.
Friday, 12 July 2013
I have just completed the cartoons that make up the complete story of Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch.
The cartoons (shown below) & their full descriptions can be found by following this link to the Bible Cartoons webiste: http://www.biblecartoons.co.uk/cartoons/famous-bible-story-acts-8-philip-the-ethiopian-eunuch
Below is the complete set:
Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 02 - Reading
Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 03 - Instruction
+45+dpi+col.jpg)
+45+dpi+col.jpg)
The cartoons (shown below) & their full descriptions can be found by following this link to the Bible Cartoons webiste: http://www.biblecartoons.co.uk/cartoons/famous-bible-story-acts-8-philip-the-ethiopian-eunuch
Below is the complete set:
Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 01 - Road
Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 02 - Reading
Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 03 - Instruction
Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 04 - Baptism
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Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 05 - Snatched away (Rocket)
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Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 05 - Snatched away (Vanished)
Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 06 - In Azotus
Temptation in The Lord of the Rings
I’ve been listening to the audiobook of The Lord of the Rings, as I have been drawing & colouring Bible Cartoons (currently I am colouring Acts 08 - Philip & the Ethiopian eunuch - Scene 06 - In Azotus.)
Story Background
The story has got to Book 2: The Two Towers, & chapter 10, in which our heroes confront Saruman, the evil wizard. His lacky (Wormtongue) throws a Palantir (or seeing stone) which is picked up by one of the Hobbits (called Pippin) but quickly handed over to Gandalf (the good wizard.)
I have just been listening to the next chapter (11, The Palantir) which describes our heroes camping for the night & Pippins increasing curiosity about the seeing stone. The story describes how Pippin’s mind keeps returning to the mysterious stone & before long he has taken it from Gandalf in his sleep & steals it away. Pippin seems to know he is doing wrong, but something causes him to act against his own good sense & he looks at the stone. It turns out that the Palantir enables one person to communicate with another who has a similar stone, many miles away. Pippin sees the mind of Sauron (the Dark Lord), who holds another stone. It was Sauron’s mind that tempted Pippin, in his search for our heroes.
What struck me about this part of the story is how similar it is to our own deadly struggle, as Christians, with personal sin. There are several noteworthy points of similarity which I can see:
1) The danger of a little touch.
We only need to handle something (a dangerous, tempting thing) for a very short time, & yet even with that brief exposure, the seeds of longing for that sinful thing can be sown into our hearts.
In the story, Pippin only touched the Palantir for a few moments, yet it played on his mind & he was tempted (without even knowing it) to look at the seeing stone again, & that was the danger of the temptation to him.
We don’t have Palantirs, but there are equally dangerous things which we can see or experience in our 21st century world. Those evil or corrupting things which we allow ourselves to touch, can ensnare our minds & hearts just like poor Pippin with the Palantir. If we are not watchful, wary, careful, & keen to keep our faith-guard up, we can accidentally stumble upon something; we can “touch” something that is wrong & hurtful to us. Then that single touch can come back to tempt us time & again to return to that evil thing. Every return to that thing only weakens our resolve to resist it, & increases its hold over us.
Fortunately, in the case of Christians & temptation to do evil, our Lord & Saviour Jesus the Christ constantly offers us a way & means to reject evil, sin & temptation which we may find in our path. We don’t have to “touch” anything wrong or sinful that comes our way. And VERY wise is the person who listens to the Holy Spirit’s call to come away from the things which could ensnare us.
Even if we do not listen to the Holy Spirit’s wise council, & we do “touch” something inappropriate, it is still possible to repent (turn away from) of our folly, & return to the path of wisdom. We can turn away from the sin/wrong-doing, ask Jesus to sprinkle His cleansing blood upon us & our lives & be clean, spotless, sin-free once more.
Needless to say, it would NOT be wise to entertain that ensnaring, potent temptation again... “Once bitten, twice shy” as the saying goes! Better to put it behind us & shrink away from it, whatever it is.
2) The deadly dangerous thrill that precedes a terribly costly deed
The story’s description of how Pippin feels, once he has stolen the Palantir from Gandalf is very enlightening, it reads, “He bent low over it [the Palantir], looking like a greedy child stooped over a bowl of food, in a corner away from others.”
Isn’t that exactly what it feels like when we have the “thing” within our grasp, even though through ignorance or recklessness we may even know that it is wrong to do what we are about to do?! This thrill that precedes doing wrong may even be what we seek, in an otherwise hum-drum life, & that in itself is a dangerous & beguiling snare to our passions & senses. We may well know that the “thing” is wrong. We may well know that it will do us no good. But the desire for strong feelings, or strong stimulation can itself be a terribly strong inducement to “touch” the thing in question.
3) The mind behind the temptation.
“Driven by some impulse that he did not understand, Pippin walked softly to were Gandalf lay ... and drawn forward again, half against his will...”
Notice in this description from the story that there was a will other than Pippin’s that seemed to “force” him act. In the story it is the malevolent, powerful mind of Sauron (the evil Dark Lord of the story) who reached out to capture Pippin’s mind, for his own evil ends. That was the mind behind Pippin’s temptation to look into the Palantir.
In the same way, we have a deadly adversary (the Devil, or Satan & his host of evil fallen angels) who can place tempting things in our path, designed to unseat us from our faith & destroy our friendship with God. Such things are designed to ensnare our senses, emotions, thoughts & passions. Sauron in The Lord of the Rings is the equivalent of Satan in the real world, although J. R. R. Tolkien often said that he was not writing an allegory of our world. nevertheless, it is instructive to see the comparison in this case.
4) The lessons of sin.
Later on in the chapter of Lord of the Rings (chapter 11 The Palantir) Gandalf tells Pippin about the seven seeing stones & Pippin says, “I wish I had known all this before, I had no notion of what I was doing.”
“Oh yes you had, “ said Gandalf. “You knew you were behaving wrongly and foolishly; and you told yourself so, though you did not listen... But if I had spoken sooner, it would not have lessened your desire, or made it easier to resist. On the contrary! No, the burned hand teaches best. After that advice about fire goes to the heart.”
“ It does,” said Pippin. “If all the seven stones were laid out before me now, I should shut my eyes and put my hands in my pockets.”
“Good!” said Gandalf. “That is what I hoped.”
As Gandalf observed in the story, we too know in our hearts when we are doing right & when we are doing wrong. God has put morality into our hearts & we know when we err. We too can tell ourselves, but fail to listen, often to our own ruin.
But it’s not all bad. The Bible tells us that temptation & “the sin that so easily entangles” leads ultimately to death. But before that ultimate fate, we can (& should) learn from the mistakes of our sins, so as to turn aside from them & avoid that deadly end. As Gandalf pointed out, “... the burned hand teaches best. After that advice about fire goes to the heart.” Although God does not want us to dabble in sin, yet well He knows our temptations, & if a sin does not kill us instantly, then we can learn to avoid that particular sin, if we will listen. Just as a hand burnt by fire learns a stark lesson, so our own involvement in sin can teach us a life-saving lesson to avoid it at all costs.
God NEVER puts temptation in our path, even to teach us about sin. It is NEVER the purpose of God to put us in a situation where we are tempted to do wrong. However, since we do occasionally sin, there are positive lessons that God can teach us about it. In the end we will come to realise that “fire” is hot, & that if we stick our hand in it, we will be burnt! The ONLY way to avoid paying the cost of any sin (being burnt) is to avoid the sin altogether. Perhaps that is the best lesson to learn about sin.
Sin can & should be resisted & overcome.
It takes a strong mind & a resolute heart, coupled with Christ-focused spiritual “eyes” to avoid all the snares & schemes of Satan when we encounter them in our path. That is why we, as Christians, are encouraged to consider our Saviour; to “die to sin” & to put behind us those things which can cause us to stumble in our faith.
I’m sure we do indeed encounter sin-soaked snares of Satan now & again. We also have a “flesh” nature (also referred to in the New Testament as “the old man” or “old self”) which tends towards the wrong, rather than the right; towards sin & wrong-doing, rather than towards rightness. That nature & the internal struggle we Christians face is described by the apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7 [*1] “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” writes Paul... “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
As Paul goes on to describe, we have an “ace up the sleeve”, we have our Father God in heaven, who is constantly turning His love towards us; we have Jesus the Christ in heaven, who intercedes for us; & we have the Holy Spirit living within us, who is powerful & able to help us overcome ANY & ALL sinful behaviours. When we realise & recognise that the triune God is for us & not against us, then we can stand against the Devil’s schemes, & lead victorious, sinless lives.
The difference between Pippin & us.
Had Pippin (in the story of Lord of the Rings) been able to recognise the subtle, tempting mind (of Sauron) on his own will, he could have avoided the snare of the Palantir. But he couldn’t & didn’t. We Christians are very blessed indeed in that we have been born again, of the Holy Spirit. He is constantly guarding our hearts & minds & will help us to avoid sin, if we allow Him to direct us.
Romans 8:5 says, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.”
So dwelling on sinful things will entice us to sinful behaviours. If, on the other hand, we want to avoid sinful behaviour then we must think about Godly, good things & avoid dwelling on sinful acts.
Paul explains the outcome of this mutually exclusive thinking in Romans 8:6, “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
Which would you rather have: a mind dominated by the sinful nature, leading to death, or a mind focussed by the Holy Spirit, leading life and peace?
If you’re a Christian, then the choice is yours.
If you’re not a Christian, then maybe it’s time to think about becoming one, so that you to can have a mind focussed by God, which leads to life, rather than death. Again, the choice (& the responsibility for your life’s outcome) is yours. Please email me if you want to become a Christian. I’m here to help.
[*1]
Romans 7:14-8:8 (NLT)
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. 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 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.
Romans 8:1-8 (NLT)
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
Story Background
The story has got to Book 2: The Two Towers, & chapter 10, in which our heroes confront Saruman, the evil wizard. His lacky (Wormtongue) throws a Palantir (or seeing stone) which is picked up by one of the Hobbits (called Pippin) but quickly handed over to Gandalf (the good wizard.)
I have just been listening to the next chapter (11, The Palantir) which describes our heroes camping for the night & Pippins increasing curiosity about the seeing stone. The story describes how Pippin’s mind keeps returning to the mysterious stone & before long he has taken it from Gandalf in his sleep & steals it away. Pippin seems to know he is doing wrong, but something causes him to act against his own good sense & he looks at the stone. It turns out that the Palantir enables one person to communicate with another who has a similar stone, many miles away. Pippin sees the mind of Sauron (the Dark Lord), who holds another stone. It was Sauron’s mind that tempted Pippin, in his search for our heroes.
What struck me about this part of the story is how similar it is to our own deadly struggle, as Christians, with personal sin. There are several noteworthy points of similarity which I can see:
1) The danger of a little touch.
We only need to handle something (a dangerous, tempting thing) for a very short time, & yet even with that brief exposure, the seeds of longing for that sinful thing can be sown into our hearts.
In the story, Pippin only touched the Palantir for a few moments, yet it played on his mind & he was tempted (without even knowing it) to look at the seeing stone again, & that was the danger of the temptation to him.
We don’t have Palantirs, but there are equally dangerous things which we can see or experience in our 21st century world. Those evil or corrupting things which we allow ourselves to touch, can ensnare our minds & hearts just like poor Pippin with the Palantir. If we are not watchful, wary, careful, & keen to keep our faith-guard up, we can accidentally stumble upon something; we can “touch” something that is wrong & hurtful to us. Then that single touch can come back to tempt us time & again to return to that evil thing. Every return to that thing only weakens our resolve to resist it, & increases its hold over us.
Fortunately, in the case of Christians & temptation to do evil, our Lord & Saviour Jesus the Christ constantly offers us a way & means to reject evil, sin & temptation which we may find in our path. We don’t have to “touch” anything wrong or sinful that comes our way. And VERY wise is the person who listens to the Holy Spirit’s call to come away from the things which could ensnare us.
Even if we do not listen to the Holy Spirit’s wise council, & we do “touch” something inappropriate, it is still possible to repent (turn away from) of our folly, & return to the path of wisdom. We can turn away from the sin/wrong-doing, ask Jesus to sprinkle His cleansing blood upon us & our lives & be clean, spotless, sin-free once more.
Needless to say, it would NOT be wise to entertain that ensnaring, potent temptation again... “Once bitten, twice shy” as the saying goes! Better to put it behind us & shrink away from it, whatever it is.
2) The deadly dangerous thrill that precedes a terribly costly deed
The story’s description of how Pippin feels, once he has stolen the Palantir from Gandalf is very enlightening, it reads, “He bent low over it [the Palantir], looking like a greedy child stooped over a bowl of food, in a corner away from others.”
Isn’t that exactly what it feels like when we have the “thing” within our grasp, even though through ignorance or recklessness we may even know that it is wrong to do what we are about to do?! This thrill that precedes doing wrong may even be what we seek, in an otherwise hum-drum life, & that in itself is a dangerous & beguiling snare to our passions & senses. We may well know that the “thing” is wrong. We may well know that it will do us no good. But the desire for strong feelings, or strong stimulation can itself be a terribly strong inducement to “touch” the thing in question.
3) The mind behind the temptation.
“Driven by some impulse that he did not understand, Pippin walked softly to were Gandalf lay ... and drawn forward again, half against his will...”
Notice in this description from the story that there was a will other than Pippin’s that seemed to “force” him act. In the story it is the malevolent, powerful mind of Sauron (the evil Dark Lord of the story) who reached out to capture Pippin’s mind, for his own evil ends. That was the mind behind Pippin’s temptation to look into the Palantir.
In the same way, we have a deadly adversary (the Devil, or Satan & his host of evil fallen angels) who can place tempting things in our path, designed to unseat us from our faith & destroy our friendship with God. Such things are designed to ensnare our senses, emotions, thoughts & passions. Sauron in The Lord of the Rings is the equivalent of Satan in the real world, although J. R. R. Tolkien often said that he was not writing an allegory of our world. nevertheless, it is instructive to see the comparison in this case.
4) The lessons of sin.
Later on in the chapter of Lord of the Rings (chapter 11 The Palantir) Gandalf tells Pippin about the seven seeing stones & Pippin says, “I wish I had known all this before, I had no notion of what I was doing.”
“Oh yes you had, “ said Gandalf. “You knew you were behaving wrongly and foolishly; and you told yourself so, though you did not listen... But if I had spoken sooner, it would not have lessened your desire, or made it easier to resist. On the contrary! No, the burned hand teaches best. After that advice about fire goes to the heart.”
“ It does,” said Pippin. “If all the seven stones were laid out before me now, I should shut my eyes and put my hands in my pockets.”
“Good!” said Gandalf. “That is what I hoped.”
As Gandalf observed in the story, we too know in our hearts when we are doing right & when we are doing wrong. God has put morality into our hearts & we know when we err. We too can tell ourselves, but fail to listen, often to our own ruin.
But it’s not all bad. The Bible tells us that temptation & “the sin that so easily entangles” leads ultimately to death. But before that ultimate fate, we can (& should) learn from the mistakes of our sins, so as to turn aside from them & avoid that deadly end. As Gandalf pointed out, “... the burned hand teaches best. After that advice about fire goes to the heart.” Although God does not want us to dabble in sin, yet well He knows our temptations, & if a sin does not kill us instantly, then we can learn to avoid that particular sin, if we will listen. Just as a hand burnt by fire learns a stark lesson, so our own involvement in sin can teach us a life-saving lesson to avoid it at all costs.
God NEVER puts temptation in our path, even to teach us about sin. It is NEVER the purpose of God to put us in a situation where we are tempted to do wrong. However, since we do occasionally sin, there are positive lessons that God can teach us about it. In the end we will come to realise that “fire” is hot, & that if we stick our hand in it, we will be burnt! The ONLY way to avoid paying the cost of any sin (being burnt) is to avoid the sin altogether. Perhaps that is the best lesson to learn about sin.
Sin can & should be resisted & overcome.
It takes a strong mind & a resolute heart, coupled with Christ-focused spiritual “eyes” to avoid all the snares & schemes of Satan when we encounter them in our path. That is why we, as Christians, are encouraged to consider our Saviour; to “die to sin” & to put behind us those things which can cause us to stumble in our faith.
I’m sure we do indeed encounter sin-soaked snares of Satan now & again. We also have a “flesh” nature (also referred to in the New Testament as “the old man” or “old self”) which tends towards the wrong, rather than the right; towards sin & wrong-doing, rather than towards rightness. That nature & the internal struggle we Christians face is described by the apostle Paul in Romans chapter 7 [*1] “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” writes Paul... “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
As Paul goes on to describe, we have an “ace up the sleeve”, we have our Father God in heaven, who is constantly turning His love towards us; we have Jesus the Christ in heaven, who intercedes for us; & we have the Holy Spirit living within us, who is powerful & able to help us overcome ANY & ALL sinful behaviours. When we realise & recognise that the triune God is for us & not against us, then we can stand against the Devil’s schemes, & lead victorious, sinless lives.
The difference between Pippin & us.
Had Pippin (in the story of Lord of the Rings) been able to recognise the subtle, tempting mind (of Sauron) on his own will, he could have avoided the snare of the Palantir. But he couldn’t & didn’t. We Christians are very blessed indeed in that we have been born again, of the Holy Spirit. He is constantly guarding our hearts & minds & will help us to avoid sin, if we allow Him to direct us.
Romans 8:5 says, “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.”
So dwelling on sinful things will entice us to sinful behaviours. If, on the other hand, we want to avoid sinful behaviour then we must think about Godly, good things & avoid dwelling on sinful acts.
Paul explains the outcome of this mutually exclusive thinking in Romans 8:6, “So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.”
Which would you rather have: a mind dominated by the sinful nature, leading to death, or a mind focussed by the Holy Spirit, leading life and peace?
If you’re a Christian, then the choice is yours.
If you’re not a Christian, then maybe it’s time to think about becoming one, so that you to can have a mind focussed by God, which leads to life, rather than death. Again, the choice (& the responsibility for your life’s outcome) is yours. Please email me if you want to become a Christian. I’m here to help.
[*1]
Romans 7:14-8:8 (NLT)
14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. 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 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.
Romans 8:1-8 (NLT)
1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. 2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. 3 The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. 4 He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.
5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. 7 For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. 8 That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.
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