Our friend and full time missionary, Carrie Roush, called Diane and I last night to talk to us about a traumatic event she and Haitian friends went through in Haiti. It was something that would have never happened here, but due to a lack of education and inadequate medical treatment facilities there, they suffered a tragedy. It occurred primarily because a few people did not know what they did not know. They thought they were doing the right thing, but what they did was the worst thing they could do. And it’s sad, because the results were brought on simply because they did not know the difference between the right thing and the wrong thing.
That conversation and series of events puts Romans 8 into context. Beginning in verse 5, it says our minds are either controlled by one of the two:
- by our human nature, which is flawed, which is an enemy of God, and leads to death
- by the Spirit, which leads to life through Jesus because you have been made right with God
And the difficulty that Romans teaches is that people who are controlled by their own feelings and desires see nothing wrong with it. They can even be deceived into thinking they are being controlled by the Spirit and following God, when in fact, they are doing exactly the opposite and do not even realize it.
I preach, write, and speak quite a bit about self examination. I am sure I picked this up, in part, from Francis Chan, who speaks often about examining ourselves. I am constantly examining my habits, my beliefs, and my life. And I do not compare myself to others, but examine myself by God’s Word. Where my habits, beliefs, and life do not measure up (and they are many), it is not the Bible that must change. It is me. It is too easy to be ignorant and look at others and think I’m OK. When I look to Jesus, He will shine a light on things in my life to show me where I am clinging to control and fooling myself. I believe He will honor our seeking. I also believe He will honor our wishes if we are content to follow our own desires.
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Scott Knowlton's Blog 