Romans 7

This was from my devotions today and have thought about them all day so I thought I'd share it with you all.

Romans 7:5-6,22

For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law having died to that which held us captive so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code. ...

For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. 

Romans 7 is the "Do-Do" chapter. (well, that's what I call it anyway) Paul talks about how we desire to do what the Lord commands, but we are torn between our sinful flesh and the desire to follow the Lord and so often we do the very thing we hate to do and the thing we want to do we don't do. Ugh! I know that feeling! 

Last Thursday was a normal day babysitting. The kids were being disobedient and having an attitude ("tude" as my friend Paul puts it). It was nice to see how the Sarah (for the sake of those in these stories I will not refer to them as their real names.) handles these situations. I was taking notes in the back of my head. It was a completely crazy, normal morning when I walked in the door. The kids were in full swing and ready for the day. Sarah was getting their breakfast ready and one thing seemed to happy after another. Joe, who is the youngest, was playing is a lightsaber, Abby (the middle) was yelling for her mom, and Jack (the oldest) was having an attitude about not eating his cereal. It was craziness. Here I am, a single, 25 year old female who doesn't deal with kid insanity every second of the day and who lives a pretty calm life among other 20 somethings walking into a family of one thing happening after the other. I had to laugh to myself as they walked in to the other room. I thought about how I want a family someday with the craziness of kids and I asked myself now that I see that everything is not always peachy keen if I still wanted this... immediately, I said YES! hahaha. 

I was struck by how Sarah was so kind and gracious to remind her kids of the Lord and his kindness.  I was helping Sarah get the kids lunches ready because we were going to take them to the park, and Jack would not eat his cereal. He protested. Sarah reminded him to obey all the way, right away, and with a happy heart. She reminded him of the Gospel and what scripture says about obeying. After Sarah handled the drama of the oldest, the middle came in the kitchen with another attitude...Sarah calmly put their options in front of them and asked them if they know they are disobeying. They both said yes. It struck me to realize that these kids KNOW they are sinning. They understand that they were having hard hearts. My mind went to my own life and relationship with the Lord. I know I am sinning. I know that I make wrong choices and yet I still do them. It's like Paul in Romans 7. I do the very thing I hate and the thing I want to do I don't do. But what is so amazing is that Christ has freed me of that! I am no longer a slave of sin. He has still forgiven me of sins, past, present, and future. Wow, really? I don't deserve such kindness. He is not surprised about my sins, and He will be faithful to forgive the next time I sin. He doesn't hold a grudge against me. 

It's like what Paul says in Romans 7:22, I desire in my inner being to obey the Lord, but my flesh doesn't and often my flesh wins.