From me to you Part 7: so not the person I wish to be

CONTEXT: The Jewish Christians would have known the importance of the law. The Law as given to Moses in Exodus when God was establishing a Jewish nation was the Law that the Jews continued to teach and live by up until the time that Jesus came to earth. The Law was the way of obeying God and living to His standards. When Jesus came, he shone a light on the Law to show that it went far deeper than anyone had ever imagined. It was about relationships and attitudes of the heart, ultimately about love.

And slaves. Everyone in Rome at that time knew about slaves. According to Bible.org, by the first century AD, when this letter was written to the believers in Rome, as much as two thirds of the Roman empire were slaves. During that century, an increasingly large number of slaves were being freed—so much so that Caesar had to write up laws that governed the procedure. Slaves were generally well treated, often well educated. These people had become slaves as spoils of war. They were allowed to marry, earn money, eventually buy their own freedom. Until the day that they were released however, they were owned by the master.

EXCERPT: Romans 7

FROM ME TO YOU:

When someone comes to know Jesus, everything changes. It’s like a light is switched on. You might have thought you were a decent enough person before that, but now you see that there is so much that is self-seeking and not in line with Jesus’ teaching at all. It’s one of those cases where the more you know, the more you realise you don’t know at all. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m so not the the person I want to be. I really want to be someone who lives for God in everything I say and do but it just doesn’t work like that. I have such good intentions. Even when I know the right thing to do, I so often don’t do it. I give into temptation. I choose the easy route. I run out of energy and motivation. 

Over-eating and materialism and selfishness and gossiping and impatience and envy are so seductive, so easy to slip into. Maybe there was a time when we didn’t even think these things were wrong. Everyone was doing it. It’s just natural, part of being human. But now we know that is not the way to live, enslaved to desires that we feel powerless to overcome. We know there is a better way. 

But it’s a daily struggle, isn’t it? I have an expression I use sometimes -‘that’s never going to happen this side of heaven’. That’s true of me getting through a whole day living exactly as God intended me to live. The good news is that I’m heading in the right direction and I’m heading for that day when I will be made whole, I will live with God and for God and in God every minute of every day forever more. 

And so will you.

Yours,

Hx