Grace For The Journey

  Do you ever feel that way? Does your life seem like a tug-of-war?  Every child of God feels this way, because that is exactly what goes on inside us each day!

The Bible says in Galatians 5:17, “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit , and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.”  This verse is describing the battle that is being waged in everyone who has come to accept God’s gift of eternal life through Christ alone, through grace alone, and by faith alone.

There is an internal conflict between flesh and spirit – between our old and new nature. And the strange thing is, that in this conflict the power and faculties of the Christian seem to be occupied at one time by the one, and at another time by the other. The same intellect, will, and affections come under different influences, like two conflicting armies occupying the ground, and in turn driven from the field.

The Bible teaches that we are delivered from the dominion and reign of sin in our lives when we are untied to Christ by grace through faith.  But sin remains in us all, and we all experience the tension Paul described to the Galatian Christians.

A tug-of-war seems to be the best way to describe the battle within for every child of God born of grace.  How often we feel like there are two opposing teams inside of us, pulling in opposite directions on the same rope!  Sometimes the good team wins and sometimes the bad team wins.  But in the end, we know that our victory has been assured, and the good nature will prevail – not because there is anything special about you or me, but because of the work of Christ on the cross and through the empty grave.

If we refuse to acknowledge the truth that we are in a daily, ongoing struggle against sin, we will not make any progress against it.  It is only by affirming the truth that there is such a battle that we are set free to take the sword to our enemies.  As we look to Jesus as the One who is fighting on our behalf, we rest in the truth declared in Romans 6:14, “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

We are not to be mastered by sin,

Because sin is not our master.

Jesus is our Master . . .

But sin will seek to entangle us

Along the way to heaven.

Enabled by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we tug on our side of the rope and never stop pulling in the right direction until we pull that old sinful nature into the mud pit.

We must remember that willpower

Will not win the battle for us;

We must always acknowledge

And depend upon the power

That God has given to us in Christ

To fight the good fight of faith,

Knowing that ultimate victory

Has been assured.

This Bible injunction in 1 Peter 2:11-12 should be a constant reminder of the tug-of-war we are called to each day we are on this side of the grave,  “Beloved I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against  you as evildoers, the may, by your good works which observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”