Walking The Walk

I preached on Sunday about our internal struggle.  That battle that rages within us every day between knowing what is right and doing what is right.  About knowing good from evil and still, at times, making the wrong choices.   Paul wrote about in Romans, and many believe he was talking about himself before his experience with Jesus on the Damascus Road.  I see it differently. Paul was describing himself, but I think he was describing the challenges he still dealt with as a mature Christian.   And why do I think that.    Because Paul wrote it in the present tense.   I don’t believe Paul is speaking of a former self, I believe he was speaking about his current self. The very fact that he delights in God's law in verse 22 reveals a transformed heart. Only a believer could say, 'In my inner being I delight in God's law.' But Paul describes an internal war raging in vivid terms in verses 21-23: 'So I find this law at work: Although I want to...

"Do not conform to the pattern of this word, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. " ~Romans 12: 2 On Sunday, I shared a story about Gracie-- a German Shepherd puppy Valerie and I got when our youngest daughter Katie was little.   German Shepherds are strong even as puppies.   Gracie was stronger than most.   We had a cable lead we let her out on when she needed to go outside.   It was tethered to our flagpole in the backyard.   Gracie didn’t like that lead in the beginning.   She didn’t like being chained up.   And she’d pull on that lead, and strain against it, and yank on it.   She was so strong, even as a puppy, she’d shake that entire flagpole.   Eventually she learned she couldn’t break that lead and she quit trying to. But things changed.  Gracie grew to over 100 pounds—she became a very big and powerful dog. But w e never...