How about some riddles?
I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I? Answer: A bank.
What question can you never answer yes to? Answer: Are you asleep yet?
Why don’t I do the good things I’d like to do … and why do I keep doing the bad things I don’t want to?
This was Paul’s riddle in the Bible book of Romans pondering his struggle to live a morally pure, spiritually decent, God-pleasing life. And it’s not just his struggle and his riddle. It’s everybody’s.
We know we shouldn’t gossip but we do it anyway, not really thinking at the time that it’s a sin but knowing it afterwards. We feel a bit of shame when we turn away too often or too quickly from the needs of others to take care of a petty little concern of our own but the shame isn’t enough to keep us from doing it again. And the kicker, of course, is the addictive sin that controls us; we know it’s our weakness, we know it’s wrong, we know it’s coming back for more, we know it’ll make us feel good for a minute and guilty for a day, we know … but we do it anyway. Why?
Ah, the power of sin. There is no mystery that sin exists. The mystery is why it can be so strong as to make us go against what we know is right and wrong.
The power lies in deception. We deceive ourselves, tricking ourselves into thinking everything will be okay. That sin is okay. So the power of sin deceives us, which means we will never solve the riddle on our own.
Paul’s solution to the riddle about doing what we don’t want and not doing what we do want is this: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24,25)
The saving solution to our struggle is not good intentions or better discipline or more second chances. The solution is a rescue. Relief performed on someone who is caught in a crisis beyond their control. And the rescue performed on people caught in sin’s power is more powerful than sin itself.
Just look at the powerful death of Jesus Christ and his powerful resurrection. You were rescued from your addictive sin and your struggle against temptation and your moral weakness at the cross and in the tomb of Jesus Christ! It’s a rescue that has already taken place!
Hey, that doesn’t make you flawless by any means. But you are forgiven. Because there’s something more powerful than the riddle. The rescue.
PRAYER: Jesus, you are my Lord. That means nobody and no issue has more control in my life than you do. I confess that I am sometimes so weak when it comes to my spiritual struggle. Rescue me, Jesus! Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: Read Romans 7:21-25 Pray about a spiritual struggle you are having to overcome a sin. Thank Jesus for his rescue.