“O wretched man that I am!” (Romans 7:24)
I’ve learned the hard way that one of the chapters I need to read more frequently in the Bible is Romans 7 where the Apostle Paul declares that he is as wretched as they come. It’s a brutally honest declaration. Interestingly, he wrote it years after his Damascus Road salvation experience with Jesus!
I don’t think many of us see ourselves the way the Apostle Paul saw himself when he wrote this letter to the Church at Rome. The truth is we are no different.
Recently, I had this epiphany. It tumbled me to a spiritual place where I have not been in some time. It was good medicine for me. However, I am still frightened by the experience and freely admit that I have not yet overcome the spiritual low point that came with it.
What happened? One of my best friends blew the cork off last week about things I had said in the past. I was stunned and brought to tears. I never meant to hurt anyone with my words, but the damage was so obvious. After a night of deep reflection, I sent a text to my wife who was out of town: “What do you do,” I asked her, “when you realize you are not the man you thought you were?”
This was a devastating blow for me. Why? Because everything that was pointed out to me that I had said, I said since I became a Christian. Indeed, my words had seared my best friend’s soul. What could I ever possibly do to restore the trust and love my friend had for me? I had sincerely apologized, and the apology had been accepted. But I knew that I had a much deeper issue that needed to be resolved. How could I not have realized that my words hurt someone so much? What kind of Christian was I?
Knowing that confusion comes from Satan, I realized that he was having a field day with my confidence. In prayer, I turned to the Lord and simply asked for two things: Help me, Lord, and help me grow from what I’ve done.”
It was then I thought about the words of the Apostle Paul. My heaven – the change is Paul was so dramatic. He was not the same man after meeting Jesus, and I knew that I was no longer the same man I used to be. Yet, the very same man who declared to me that I was a “new creation” in Christ Jesus in Galatians was now admitting in Romans 7 that he was as wretched as they come.
I saw myself in this verse and realized as I never had before that I had not moved as far as I thought I had from wretchedness. I was still wretched. Indeed, my words to my friend were classic signs that I had fallen short of what God expected of me in my Christian life. I had not just let my friend down; I had let the Lord down, too. It was a double blow.
An apology is never enough when you do this to someone. I realized that I must do more, not for my friend, for me. I continue to be in need of Godly change in my life. I will seek Godly counsel to help me understand not just what I did, but how I can grow from it. And with the God’s help, I will strive to be more like Christ.
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Great message Mike, thanks. Re: Romans 3:21-26 (New Living Translation)
21But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Mosesi and the prophets long ago. 22We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
I understand where you are coming from in this anointed message, dude. I tend to beat myself up at times over past mistakes, as well (being part Jewish on my dad’s side, I grew up with an all-expenses-paid guilt trip, lol)…thank God though that, like Paul, we have an advocate, a High Priest, before our Father’s throne of grace!
I so appreciated youir honesty, Muke, and so often find myself in the same boat! Thank God for the provision He made for us and that He is slow to anger and rich in love. (Psalm 145:8)
In His Grace!
Sorry for the slip of my finger, Mike! Blessings.
Thanks for the message.In deed, it’s always disheartening recalling past misbehavior but it would be spirit enriching to keep focusing on JESUS we had put on by faith(Eph.4:24).Remembring the past mistakes will always weaken the heart.As christians,we need to always remember who we are in CHRIST and not in the FLESH
I have seen how going to church and constantly seeing Christian brothers and sisters bickering between each others. Christians imagine themselves to be changing, when in reality I have seen my mom preaching me daily about not being devoting but I could sense the insincerity in the talk, always condescending and never the real love taught by the Christ, just a façade only. Please please christians, latching on to any idol you make inside of you won’t solve anything, it just make you feel like you are spiritually superior, when in fact, your true spiritual nature has not one bit transformed, you still only see thing in a religious construct and point of view. Now I am more inclined into the teaching of living in NOW, live in the presence rather then the unpeaceful forward looking into the armageddon, blame everything on Satan, end time scare & prophecies, things that are our inner disturbances projecting on outward as self-fulfilling prophecy…. Well Jesus released us from sin, but we are still indulging in plenty of guilt of our own actions….