“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19 NIV)
I have the picture somewhere, but I haven’t seen it in a long time. It is of me getting my diploma at my high school graduation. My posture is terrible. I am slightly hunched over and my neck and head are pitched forward. I’ve always thought I looked like a turtle. Seeing that picture was my first realization of how bad my posture was. It was then that I became determined to improve it.
Over the years, it has improved, but I still struggle. I will see pictures of me from the side and there is that head and neck pitched forward and the shoulders hunched over. Crap! I remind myself. My wife reminds me; yet, still, I struggle to maintain a proper posture. It is literally a moment-by-moment thing, a constant need to remind myself. The problem is that I get distracted. My focus during the day turns to other things and away from my posture. I may adjust it one moment, but the next my attention is elsewhere, and, crap, my posture returns to its normal bad state. I have concluded I will always struggle with my posture because it seems my posture is just naturally bad.
It is the same way with sin. It comes naturally to us, and though we can overcome it, as soon as we are distracted, crap! We are right back at it. Thankfully, as Paul later exclaims (vs. 25), we are rescued from the eternal effects of our sin by Jesus. Yet, the struggle continues. And when we are distracted, we will regress to our natural state. Paul never stopped struggling. He pressed on (Philippians 3:14) and continued to fight. Because of his knowledge of God’s Word and his fellowship with believers, I think he was constantly reminded of the dangers of sin and when he had fallen. They served constantly to help him adjust his “posture.”
Today, recognize your natural inclination is to sin. Constant reminders coming through the Word and through others are the only way keep your “posture” straight.
© Jim Musser 2012
1 comment:
Good words, Jim. I am so aware of this constant battle. Once in awhile, however, I am pleasantly surprised when I react in a godly way to a circumstance or situation & rejoice that I can see Christ's transforming work in me.
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