Studies in Contradiction

Living in Central New York, especially next to one of the great lakes is a study in contrast.  Sunday dawned warm and sunny.  The snow has melted.  Crocuses were blooming.  Birds were singing and it was beautiful.

 

 

We were invited to a friend's house for dinner the same day.  Her home is right on the lake and this is the site from her back deck.  Ice as far as you could see.

 



Today it is raining, cold and dreary.  One thing is for sure living here.  We never know what to expect and things go from one extreme to the next very quickly.

Our lives are a bit like that too, aren't they?

We desire to do the right thing.  We want to grow closer to the Lord.  We want to be in tune to the Holy Spirit.  Yet, on the flip side, we are human, frail and weak.  We mess up.  We fail.  We blunder and make mistakes.

Romans 7:21-24 (MSG) ~

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?

Do you ever feel that way?  That no matter how hard you try, you fail?  I know at times I have felt that way.  But I'm also so thankful that there is an answer to that last question.  "Is there no one who can do anything for me?"

Romans 7:24 (MSG) ~ The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

Isn't that wonderful news?  We are a study in contrast and contradiction and yet, because of Christ, we are forgiven.  We have hope.  We have one we can turn to when we fail and He forgives and forgets.  He picks us up, brushes us off and puts us back on the path.

I am so thankful for this truth in my life today!