Do you ever get tired of sinning, like I do? Before we had relationships with God, that was understandable, as we were slaves to sin, according to the Bible. Rather than having a battle raging within us between the Spirit and the flesh, we were simply, flesh driven. Yet after we become believers, there is a war that rages on day after day whether or not to sin. The Bible reminds us that after we are believers, sinning becomes a choice for us, and the saddest part is that sometimes we choose to sin. Even knowing how it breaks God’s heart doesn’t factor into the equation. But we know what God’s plan is for each one of us:
…being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; Philippians 1:6
If God is going to perfect us, why didn’t He make us perfect the first time? He did with Adam, but Adam changed it all for us! Why did He allow us to live in these sinful bodies on this sinful earth? I think the passage in Romans 7 strikes home so deeply:
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.
Romans 7:14-15
Though we hate sin, we continue to sin. Sin still is a big part of our lives. But you know what? I think the key to it all is the desires of our hearts. As Christians, though we continue to sin, we desire to do it God’s way. When self dies to the point where we desire His will in our lives, He will work out the rest of the details. Think of David, who the Bible describes as a man after God’s own heart. If we delight in the Lord, the Word tells us that God will give us the desires of our hearts. If the desire of our heart is to do it His way, then I can certainly see how He will give us that desire. By perfecting us! By putting us in glorified bodies that never will have to worry or sorrow about sin ever again. Praise God!
Otherwise, there would have been disappearances all over the planet every time someone accepted the Lord. So they wouldn’t struggle with sin again, He could have chosen to take each new believer to heaven that very moment. But instead, God chose to have us continue in the struggle with sin, to pick up our crosses and follow Him. On that path, through our many struggles and sins, we realize how weak we are without Him and how strong He is! Additionally, with us still here, we are able to speak through our words, thoughts and actions to the people of a broken world, who desperately need Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
If you are tired of the struggle, don’t lose sight of the fact that God still has you here for His purposes. Quit whining and look for the opportunities that He is placing into your paths on a daily basis. Lord, forgive me for the number of times I have said, “I’m tired,” even today. My rest is in You and when You no longer want me here, You will do something about that. In the meantime, use me for Your purposes!
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