Baseball is a challenging sport for many reasons. One reason is that an expert batter will only get a hit 30 to 35% of the time. If a player bats .300 in their career, they have a good chance to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Imagine going to bat time, after time, after time, after time, and only getting a hit 1/3 of the time. I know I would be tempted to quit. But, quality ball players are able to put their failures/strike outs behind them. Don't get me wrong. They care. However, they don't quit. They press on.
Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he hit 714 home runs. If he had focused on the strikeouts, he would have never been known as the "Sultan of Swat."
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice (Rom. 7:19, NKJV).
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:24-25a, NKJV)
Last Sunday Night I preached a sermon entitled, "The Struggle Within." The sermon was based on Romans 7:13-25.
In this passage, Paul admitted his shortcomings. He was transparent. He admitted that at times, he didn't do all he should. Also, at other times, he didn't do the right thing. Then, Paul expresses his frustration by exclaiming "O wretched man that I am!." In other words, "I am so miserable! Who can get me out of this fatal mess?"
This has always amazed me. Paul was zealous for the cause of Christ. He was a superficial sort of guy. How else can you explain the perseverance he demonstrated after being persecuted ruthlessly for his faith? However, in spite of overwhelming evidence that God was blessing him with a fruitful ministry, he felt sinful...wretched.
I agree with folks that say something like "The more I learn the more I realize I do not know." While I have a "terminal degree" in Christian Education (It is called "terminal" because it almost killed me. Others say Ph.D stands for "Piled High and Deep."), I still feel incredibly uneducated in the scriptures and in the practice of them.
So, I guess that's what Paul was feeling. Even though he was a spiritual giant, he yearned for a deeper relationship with God. The closer he drew to God, the more inadequate he felt spiritually. Then, he reminded himself that he did not need a new deliverance. He had already been delivered. Consequently, he offered thanksgiving to God for the fulfilling redemption Jesus provided through His death, burial, and resurrection.
Yes, you and I sin. We fall short. However, we need to take the sinful acts to the Lord and ask his forgiveness. Then, we just need to get back into the batters box and remember that the "battle belongs to the LORD."
O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:24-25a, NKJV)
Last Sunday Night I preached a sermon entitled, "The Struggle Within." The sermon was based on Romans 7:13-25.
In this passage, Paul admitted his shortcomings. He was transparent. He admitted that at times, he didn't do all he should. Also, at other times, he didn't do the right thing. Then, Paul expresses his frustration by exclaiming "O wretched man that I am!." In other words, "I am so miserable! Who can get me out of this fatal mess?"
This has always amazed me. Paul was zealous for the cause of Christ. He was a superficial sort of guy. How else can you explain the perseverance he demonstrated after being persecuted ruthlessly for his faith? However, in spite of overwhelming evidence that God was blessing him with a fruitful ministry, he felt sinful...wretched.
I agree with folks that say something like "The more I learn the more I realize I do not know." While I have a "terminal degree" in Christian Education (It is called "terminal" because it almost killed me. Others say Ph.D stands for "Piled High and Deep."), I still feel incredibly uneducated in the scriptures and in the practice of them.
So, I guess that's what Paul was feeling. Even though he was a spiritual giant, he yearned for a deeper relationship with God. The closer he drew to God, the more inadequate he felt spiritually. Then, he reminded himself that he did not need a new deliverance. He had already been delivered. Consequently, he offered thanksgiving to God for the fulfilling redemption Jesus provided through His death, burial, and resurrection.
Yes, you and I sin. We fall short. However, we need to take the sinful acts to the Lord and ask his forgiveness. Then, we just need to get back into the batters box and remember that the "battle belongs to the LORD."
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