What Am I Doing?

I’ve been leading a Bible study on Romans for the men of the congregation I serve and our community.

This week our topic was “The Depth of Morals” and was based on verses were Romans 2. These two verses made me stop and think.

²³ You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. ²⁴ For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

I was cut to the quick with these two verses. That’s me Paul is talking about! I had trouble sleeping last night thinking about these words and how they apply to parts of my life.

I tell people about God and sin and how God wants us to live in His Gospel light.

But while I tell them about this wonderful good news, I sometimes don’t do it myself!

Why? I certainly know better. I wouldn’t be living my life telling others about how God loves us and sent Jesus to die for our sins and transforms our hearts and lives unless I knew that to be true deep down in my heart.

But even though I know better, I still find myself sinning. I feel ashamed, beaten down, so much so that I can barely function at times.

Thankfully, these feelings don’t last too long. And the reason for that is because the Holy Spirit – while convicting me through Romans 2 and other verses – also builds me up with verses like:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. (Romans 3:23-25)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

This Good News – this Gospel – gives me new hope every time I’m beaten down by my sinfulness. I can live a new life. I can be a new man.

Every day, I have to remember, “I am baptized” and, as such, I am a child of the heavenly Father and I have Christ living in me!

Every day, I wake up and remember, “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”

I can do this – and all things – through Christ who strengthens me!

Part of our Bible study was dedicated to a “what now?” discussion. What do we do with this information? How do we live a different life.

There were some great ideas like:

Pray daily.

Read the Bible daily.

Attend a worship service weekly.

Like I said, great ideas that have a proven track record. However, there was one thing missing.

You see, all these great ideas are things that we can – and should – do.

But they are not things that we can rely on to do by ourselves.

I am convinced that in order to be truly transformed by the Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacrament, another person needs to walk along side me. I need a friend, a partner, a brother who will ask the tough questions:

How were you tempted today? Did you succumb to that temptation?

This brother would then pray with me and will pray for me every day. And I ask the same questions of him and do the same with him.

This is God’s plan. That a man or woman of God would have someone who is dedicated to them and they to them, being an instrument of the Holy Spirit to bring about fundamental transformation over a lifetime of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

David had his Jonathan.

Paul had his Silas.

Timothy had his Paul.

Who walks along side of you?