Our need for God - Romans 7

We can make it on our own....is the mantra of the day.  What do you think, can we honestly make it on our own?  Love these paragraphs from the bible taken from Romans, reminding us that we are far from perfect and now and again need a little help along the way. 

We may manage intellectually, socially or financially, but internally we can often struggle. We struggle with our thoughts and actions, we struggle with our worries and hardships.  We struggle with a void in life that cannot be filled, somehow no matter what we get in life, it's never enough.

Sometimes we need God to save us from ourselves, to pluck us out of our egos, to help us internally (our souls) and help us to turn from struggles and evil and towards goodness and hope  May the longings of our souls be filled again.  xx

 Romans 7:15-24The Message (MSG)

I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of the bad within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

Psalm 23 -4-6 - bringing hope

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You have anointed my heard with oil and my cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.…Amen.