Wednesday, July 3, 2024  

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Today's Scripture
Romans 7:4–12

In the same way, my friends, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we are slaves not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit.

What then should we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. (NRSV)

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Reflection

During an early morning walk I listened to my friend describe the struggles she had early in her faith journey. She was petrified of sinning, of falling short and disappointing God. No matter her good intentions and efforts, she lived in fear of never measuring up. It was a horrible way to live. She hates disappointing anyone, but to feel like she was constantly disappointing God was excruciating. When I asked what changed for her, she replied, “Moses.”

Say more. My friend explained that she participated in a Bible study about Moses, and it changed everything for her. Here is the guy that God trusted to deliver the Ten Commandments, but Moses continued to make blunder after blunder. He was not the guy with whom you wanted to take a walk! After four weeks of studying Moses, my friend came to understand that God doesn’t demand perfection in order to be loved and to be useful.

In fact, in the very next chapter of Romans, we are assured that nothing separates us from God’s love — not even our mistakes. We don’t obey the law or avoid sinning so that God loves us. That equation has the incorrect order. God loves us and therefore we endeavor to live the way of Jesus. By walking this way, we bear good fruit.

God isn’t looking for blunder-free followers. God uses people like Moses, my friend, you, and me.

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Prayer
God, thank you for people like Moses and my friend. Thank you for people who share their vulnerabilities and failures so that we can see your love and mercy in action. Keep assuring me that nothing can separate me from you, because I tend to be prone to blunders. Amen.

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Written by Andrea Denney, Executive Director of Operational Ministries

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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