From today’s reading...
“I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.”
Paul was strong in admitting he was weak.
We all regularly grapple with one or more of the seven cardinal sins:
- Lust.
- Gluttony.
- Greed.
- Sloth.
- Wrath.
- Envy.
- Pride.
But when the soft-spoken Jimmy Carter admitted he "committed adultery in my heart many times,” he was skewered by the media.
(I assume the media doesn’t read the Bible or they are too caught up with pride, greed, wrath, and envy to notice their own slothful shortcuts as they stuff their faces while sexting in between hit pieces on candidates to notice their hypocrisy. 1976 marked the end of candidates giving honest interviews because, “as the New York Times editorialized, the erosion of ‘the legitimate boundaries of [politicians'] private lives and intimate feelings’ had begun.” And I’m not even a Jimmy Carter fan. But I digress.)
It’s a tough time to be a sinner these days.
Or maybe with security cameras and cell phone cameras and spying software it’s easier than ever to not be a sinner because you know you’ll be caught.
Or maybe with webcams and private browsing software and chat software that immediately self-destructs like a Mission Impossible message it’s easier than ever to be a sinner.
Regardless, know that when you struggle with sin you’re in good company that includes Paul and everyone that lived before him, everyone that lived after him, all of your neighbors, your co-workers, your family, your friends, your barista, your local pastor, Hollywood producers, and even Presidents.
And know that Paul explains the reason for the struggle and the path to be delivered from the struggle.
But rejoice in knowing that the struggle is the path as you...
Stay the course.
Keep the faith.
Endure.
