stealing your joy

Romans 7: 21- 23
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?


Yesterday I was talking about Joy, and how it is there for everyone to reach out and grab. Yet if it is so easy then why does it seem so hard to attain? I believe the simple answer is just what Paul is talking about in this passage. Something is always there trying to steal our joy. This is where the battle lies.

Most people seem to think of sin as external actions, yet Paul hits the nail on the head. Sin is something we battle with internally everyday. What makes things even more difficult is the fact that while reaching out for joy is easy to do, it is not as easy, nor is it as acceptable as reaching out for sin.

Sin is easy, and it will steal every bit of joy that is extended to you. Yes it is true that God loves us there is no doubt about that. However make no mistake about it. The devil is fighting just as hard. It is easier to tell a lie, than to stand up and tell the truth, it is easier to join in and tear others down, than it is to take up for someone that deserves it. It is easier to run with the pack in almost every case than it is to stand on your own. We all know, even though most do not like to admit it, that it is easier to bash God, or deny him, or maybe just remain silent than it is to speak up, and proclaim his name…..heaven forbid we be thought of as “overly religious”!

All of these things start internally, they start with the choice we make about the situation, and how we decide to handle it. Typically our first reaction is to take the easy road, because that is what we have been taught, and do not doubt it, we have been sold a lie. Our friends lied to us when they told us that it is ok to say anything as long as we really do not mean it, the media lies to us when they tell us that we have to have every new shiny thing just to be complete, I hate to say it but some of our parents might have even lied to us and told us that winning at all cost was acceptable. These are just some of the ways our Joy is stolen. We believed the lie, we chose the sin over the good. Just as Paul says “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” We know the answer, the question is will we make the call?


Peace,
Rev. Thetford