When Trying Hard Loses, Trust the Life of Jesus
A lighter grip, the work supplied within.
Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More, Ray Stedman
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Romans 7 puts words to the experience many of us know too well. I want to do good, then a contrary pull rises, and the next thing I know I have done the very thing I said I would not. Stedman names this honestly, then points us past despair to a better center. He reminds us that there is a real conflict in our members, yet there is also a real Deliverer who lives in us.
I appreciate how Stedman highlights the turning point. When we come to the end of managing sin by determination, the gospel meets us with a Person, Jesus alive in us. The Law exposes what self-effort cannot conquer, then grace ushers us into union life. We are not abandoned strugglers. We are sons and daughters in whom the Spirit dwells.
From our abiding life lens, Romans 7 is not the final address of a believer, it is the doorway to Romans 8. The real I in Jesus agrees with God, delights in His ways, and is no longer defined by the flesh. The problem is not that I am two equal selves. The problem is that the flesh still agitates in my body, while my spirit is new and joined to the Lord. The answer is not more vows, it is reliance on the indwelling Christ.
This is corporate good news. The Father did not design a private ladder to climb. He placed us in His Son, together with all who believe. We walk the same way we received Him, by faith, drawing on His life moment by moment. Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, is not a slogan. It is a present way to live.
Journal Entry, Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I live in you, and I am your life. I have set you free from the law of sin and death. When the old pull rises, do not measure your resources, look to Me. I work in you to will and to work for My good pleasure. As you received the Lord Jesus, keep walking in Him, rooted and built up in Him, established in faith. Present your members to Me as instruments of righteousness. I am the Spirit of life, I lead you, I bear witness that you are a child of God, and I produce My fruit as you walk by Me.
There is now no condemnation for you in Christ Jesus. Reckon yourself dead to sin and alive to God. The flesh was crucified with its passions and desires. Your old man was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless. Sin will not rule over you, because you are under grace. Put off the old patterns that no longer fit, put on the new self that I am renewing according to the image of your Creator.
I give you a new heart and a new spirit, and I cause you to walk in My ways. Your sufficiency is not from yourself, your sufficiency is from Me. I am your wisdom, your righteousness, your sanctification, and your redemption. Abide in Me, and I in you, and you will bear much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. Set your mind on the things of the Spirit, and life and peace will mark your path.
When temptation or frustration comes, pause and turn toward Me. I am present. I am gentle and lowly. My grace is sufficient, and My power is made perfect in your weakness. Trust Me to express the life of Jesus in your real moments, and you will learn that My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
Real-Life Analogy
Using an electric toothbrush changes the job. With a manual brush you press harder, scrub faster, and try to reach every angle by effort. With an electric brush you hold it lightly, you let the motor do the work, and you simply guide it along your teeth. The result is cleaner with less strain.
Life in Jesus works the same way. The Holy Spirit, living in you, supplies the action. You are not white-knuckling holiness. You are learning a lighter grip. Today, when a sharp email lands in your inbox, instead of pressing harder to be patient, pause and rely. Quietly say, Lord, I trust You to speak with Your patience through me in this reply right now, then draft your response at His pace, with His honesty and kindness. That is abiding, not managing. That is Jesus expressing His life through you.
Prayer of Confidence
Lord, thank You that I am united with Jesus, not left to myself. Thank You that I am dead to sin and alive to You. Thank You that there is no condemnation, that Your Spirit lives in me, and that Your grace is my present standing. I agree with You about who I am in Christ, and I yield my words, my reactions, and my body to You as instruments of righteousness. I rest in Your faithfulness, and I walk today in the life that is already mine in Jesus. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Romans 7:18-25, Romans 8:1-6, Romans 8:9-16, Romans 6:6-14, Romans 5:2, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 5:16-25, Galatians 5:24, Philippians 2:13, John 15:4-5, John 14:20, Colossians 2:6-7, Colossians 3:1-4, Colossians 3:9-10, Ephesians 4:22-24, Ezekiel 36:26-27, 2 Corinthians 3:5, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Titus 2:11-12, 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, Matthew 11:28-30, 2 Corinthians 12:9.