"controlled by the sinful nature"
Romans 7:5
Romans 7 is a powerful chapter for anyone who knows they are a sinner (you know who you are). The whole book of Romans delves deep into the idea of the Law in the life of a believer, and how achieving salvation through obedience to the Law is an impossibility ~ righteousness is achieved only through God. The latter part of the chapter illustrates the battles we all face every day in our efforts to be obedient to Him, not our flesh. Verse 15 summarizes it nicely: "What I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, that I do." Ever feel like that?
But verse 5 is what jumped out at me today. It says that when we are controlled by the sinful nature, we bear fruit that is "unto death" ~ which is to say, sinful deeds. I gave a lot of thought to the idea of being controlled by our sinful nature, and the deeds which result from that. And the scary thing is, there are so-called "good" deeds that can be done for the wrong reason, and with the wrong motive. And how does God feel about those deeds? Probably those around us can't tell the difference ~ a casserole brought to someone in need is still delicious. But God knows our hearts, and He knows when we bear fruit with an eye to our glory; our pride.
Verse 4 is my goal ~ bearing fruit unto God. It can be hard to do, I think. I'm most in danger when it comes to habitual service for Him. When I sign up for a committee at church, or to help out at Bible Study, then I'm liable to start doing it out of routine ~ or worse: because I have no choice. Anything we do regularly can become less and less about Him. The key is examining our motives, and we can't even really do that ourselves. Psalm 26:2 is a prayer that reminds us that we need Him to show us what we can't see: "Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart." If that's your prayer, then good fruit ~ fruit unto Him ~ will be the result.
~ "You have planted them,
yes, they have taken root;
they grow, yes, they bear fruit." ~
Jeremiah 12:2
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