Imperfections

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            I often tire of my imperfections. It seems the older I get, the more struggles emerge, and I feel rather defeated because of this at times. When I shared this with my husband, wise sage that he is, he told me that it isn’t that I necessarily have more struggles emerging in my life so much as it is that I now have spiritual eyes to see them. God’s law is now written upon my heart (Heb. 10:16), so when I sin (defined in James 4:17 as knowing the right thing to do and NOT doing it), I more readily see my sin.  The sins that “beset me” (Heb. 12:1, KJV), “entangle” me (NIV), and “trip [me] up” (NLT) loom everywhere, but the encouragement I receive when I read my Bible causes me to press on. The Message has a powerful interpretation of Paul’s struggle in Romans 7:18b-20:
For if I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it. I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
A verses later, Paul’s frustration with our fleshly limitations show when he says, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?” (Romans 7:24, NIV). James, too, recognizes the struggle with imperfection caused by our flesh and its sin nature, especially related to our speech.  James points out that everyone stumbles, and “if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well” (James 3:2, NASB). Saying and doing what I know is pleasing to God pretty much sums up the struggle for me. Only God’s grace keeps sin from totally mastering me while I’m in this flesh (Rom. 8:14), and only Christ can rescue me from my sins and imperfections, and only He knows when that battle will be won. Heaven help me until then!

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