Day 27 - Romans 7:21 - 7:25

21 I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.

Tori's Comments:

"I INEVITABLY" We are all screwups. 

I know God knows what's best for me. But then Satan likes to whisper the opposite in my ear, preying on my weaknesses.

He knows my weaknesses well.

I love how the author shows us how hopeless the situation that we are in is, and then all of a sudden it's like WABANG! Jesus got you.

Perhaps the Red Rule does not just apply in Sunday School: Jesus is always the answer.

Terrie's Comments:

I think I will just agree... "THANK GOD!!  The answer is Jesus Christ our Lord."  

AMEN There is hope!!

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 26 - Romans 7:13 - 7:20

13 But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes.

14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. 16 But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

18 And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t. 19 I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. 20 But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.

Terrie's Comments:

I think every person that is living for God can relate to these words that Paul wrote!!!  It is so vitally important to consistently renew our minds in the word of God so the Holy Spirit has more to work with.  I have had times of great victory and times of feeling complete defeat.  I am glad that as I mature more and more those times of feeling defeated last shorter amounts of time and the times of victory are increasing.  Nothing I have done has brought about these changes it is all God and the Holy Spirit empowering me to mature in Christ.  I am a complete fool when I try to do things on my own because I forget whom I belong to.

I think this is one of the most relate-able passages in scripture... what do you think? 

Tori's Comments:

Vs. 15 is like my life. I don't want to displease God, but I seem to forget that desire in the moment. 

The end, however, has got me like:

via GIPHY

A little wordy, a little confusing, and I got a little lost.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 25 - Romans 7:7 - 7:12

7 Well then, am I suggesting that the law of God is sinful? Of course not! In fact, it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have known that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.” 8 But sin used this command to arouse all kinds of covetous desires within me! If there were no law, sin would not have that power. 9 At one time I lived without understanding the law. But when I learned the command not to covet, for instance, the power of sin came to life, 10 and I died. So I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. 11 Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. 12 But still, the law itself is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.

Tori's Comments:

This applies well to camp life. I find that when I tell a kid not to do something they seem to want to do it more. 

"Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me" really sticks out to me, although I'm not sure why.

Terrie's Comments:

Our sinful nature sucks!!  I am so grateful that Jesus took all the punishment for it so I am free to do my best and let his grace cover the rest.  If my heart condition is right with God and I am trusting in Jesus to save me my best will be enough because my thoughts, actions and words will be more and more in line with His will the longer I serve Him.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!

Day 24 - Romans 7:1 - 7:6

7 Now, dear brothers and sisters—you who are familiar with the law—don’t you know that the law applies only while a person is living? 2 For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her. 3 So while her husband is alive, she would be committing adultery if she married another man. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law and does not commit adultery when she remarries.

4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. 5 When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. 6 But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.

Terrie's Comments:

This passage again makes it so clear that we are not living by the Old Law anymore.  The thing that stood out what that "the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds"  So should we be training ourselves to live by the spirit more??  We are not obeying the letter of the law anymore but in the new way of living in the Spirit.  

I am so thankful for the Holy Spirit living in me who guides my life.  It is freeing being reminded that I don't have to know everything or anything for that matter I just need to listen to the sweet voice of the Holy Spirit living in me and decide to listen to Him.  I need to remember to die daily to my old ways, which were crucified when I made Jesus Lord of my life and remember I am never alone in this!!

Tori's Comments:

Verse 15 is THE verse for me in this passage. We don't have the rules laid out for us like they did in the Old Testament, but we do know God's character and walk through life with Him.

Take our personal comments or leave them. We would love to hear what stood out to you about today`s passage and how it encouraged you. Tell us in the comments below!