Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Bearing Fruit For God - A Christian's Dilemma


Oommen K. Varghese
Epiphany MTC, NY

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!


There is an internal struggle going on for most Christians. Our religious affiliation, practices and Biblical knowledge do not resolve this issue. For unbelieving Christians, this struggle never becomes an issue. Before we become believers, we were slaves to the sin and were not aware of the intensity of sin in our daily lives. Our struggle in most cases begins upon conversion to know Christ as our personal Savior.

Paul is fundamentally in agreement with law, but the problem becomes an ongoing battle within Paul's life at the gate of Damascus where he had a divine encounter with his Master, Jesus.  Paul identifies  the root cause of sin within him. Nothing good indwelled in the flesh but the chronic co-existence of sin in his flesh.  Many "Christians " struggle with this problem still today irrespective of their church affiliation and high ranking positions in the spiritual sphere. Despite our self-projected spiritual outlook, most of us are prisoners of the flesh – bondage to sin.  We desire to do what the law of God demands at the bottom of our heart, yet most of the time our sin becomes an obstacle to achieving this goal.  This hostage situation is a never ending ordeal no matter what sincere efforts we try and apply. Our flesh is weak and  is overpowered by a greater power  -SIN

Many times we join with Paul and utter an agonizing cry for deliverance " Wretched man that I am, who will set me free from the body of death? " (v24)

When we continue to read to verse 25, the light at the end of the tunnel can be visible to come out of this mess. " Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I, myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh, I serve the law of sin ".

The blood shed on Calvary can only deliver us from this dilemma.  The message of the cross of Jesus Christ is the only provision of God given to humanity to become a righteous state.

PRAYER

Dear God, we admit that we live a superficial, hypocritical Christian life. Please forgive our hypocrisy. We earnestly desire a deliverance from this spiritual battle within us. Thank you for Your son Jesus Christ for being a sources of this deliverance. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
"Sin is complicated; its solution is simple " The Rev. Nathanael Saint-Pierre 

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