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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God——through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin..” (Romans 7.22-25; emphasis mine - jb).
“With my mind I serve the Law of God...” With this statement, Paul echoes the intent of all who seek to please God; it begins as an exercise of the mind and extends itself into every nook and cranny of one's life. “...But with the flesh [I myself serve] the law of sin.” With this phrase, Paul opines the plight of every person who truly wishes to serve God, but who has been led astray from His truth. Even the most devoted mind cannot please God apart from the revealed will of God – and that was Paul's condition prior to his becoming a Christian.
A positive mental attitude is important but that is not enough; the law of God demands service that manifests itself in obedience (compliance) with His law. Merely to intend to serve God is not service to God. The mind and the intention of the mind is crucial, but that is not all there is to pleasing God. Although the statement that follows is not Scripture, I think it is scriptural: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions!” Paul found himself in that precise situation. He wanted to do right; his mind truly honored God, but something was terribly amiss. The potential that he possessed as one who wished to please God was not realized by the wishing!
When Paul learned the truth, he obeyed the truth. He learned the truth about Jesus while on the road to Damascus and he learned what to do in response to that truth while in the house of one Judas. Ananias searched out Paul (Saul) at the command of the Lord and when he found him, he said, “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” (Acts 22.16). Having received instructions from Ananias, God's prophet for the occasion, Paul obeyed by being baptized. Paul continued to serve the Law of God with his mind, but he added an important component; he added knowledge to the desire to obey that he previously had.
The Law of God is like other laws in that it was issued with the intention of having people submit themselves to that law and consequently, to Him. The law of God is unlike other laws in as much as it makes promises that none other can legitimately make. These promises are of such proportions that men who heard them effectively ordered the liquidation of all that they possessed and followed Jesus. This type of devotion is rare, but Jesus' disciples either had that attitude, or they didn't remain as followers for long. Jesus made it clear when He said, “Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 7.21).
When the final tick of time's clock has sounded, eternity shall have begun and with it revelations that human eyes have never seen. Law might be perceived as a harsh word, but God's Law is totally committed to providing man an opportunity that is literally more than tongue can tell. God's Law is the means by which His will is revealed and it is the standard by which all men shall be judged. Its penalties are sure and harsh, but its rewards “...will surely be worth it all.”
Questions:
1. Is it a good thing or a bad thing to serve the law of God? How about serving Him with one's mind ONLY?
2. At what point did Paul learn and embrace the truth that Jesus was Messiah? Was Paul still in his sins when Ananias approached him in the house of one named Judas? Why or why not?
3. What did Jesus have to say about lip service that does not manifest itself in obedience?
4. What reward is offered to those who are faithful to Him (see 2 Timothy 4.6-8)?
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