I obviously need help!

Romans 7:14-25

14-16 I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

21-23 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.

24 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?

25 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.


Yikes.

My heart has been heavy lately due to conversations with friends who are making not-so-smart life choices.
Mostly young people who are where I was just a few years ago.
Chained to the "college life" filling up their God shaped hole with anything and everything else.
I vented about this to a friend last night and have felt so convicted about my words ever since.

Have I forgotten how to love people?
Have I forgotten how to be a leader or a follower of Christ?
Have I started believing that my friends souls are up to ME to save?

Again, YIKES.

It's been almost a year since I stopped being involved in YL and I seem to have turned into a Pharisee.
I've always been bent towards perfection and earning God's love, but Jesus really changed that about me.
I guess being out of direct ministry has caused me to slip back into that world.
Well that and living at home where judgement readily resides.

Last night, my friend looked earnestly at me and took in everything I said because she too is carrying around the weight of loving these friends.
But I think I lead her in the wrong direction (probably not for the first time, because I too am a broken human).
I think I was whiny and little.
I poured out my heart about my friends who are making destructive choices without ever saying "just run to Jesus. Stop trying to be better and just run into His open arms".

WE CAN'T BE BETTER.
We have sin!
We have a disease that is incurable apart from Christ.
I can't fix you, you can't fix you, only Jesus can!
Which, honestly, should lift an enormous weight off our shoulders.
He did the hard part (perfect human/crucifixion/separation from God).
We simply have to offer him out hearts and then...nope, no "and thens".

Something good did happen last night.
Thanks to grace we walked away with one redeeming idea.
We set reminders on our phones to go off at the same time each morning to remind us to take our heavy hearts to Jesus and ask him to free our friends and free ourselves.

I am running this race.
I'm running it hard.
But, I obviously need help

{Enter Jesus}