Sin and Comfort

I’ve stated before that often times, we are our worst critic.  We see the sin that is in ourselves and are put off by it.   Even disgusted.  But God promises forgiveness (which was mentioned in a different paper) and comfort as well.  And the latter is what I want to focus on for this paper.  The verses, I’m about to use, may not have been thought of in this light but came to me when thinking of myself and thinking that I was unworthy of the calling of Christ.  Perhaps I’ve done too much, as I’ve mentioned before.   Or perhaps this will be too hard for me.  Then, while reading, I found that those thoughts put me in good company.  2 Cor 1 says “8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,[a] about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”  Even the apostles were tried beyond what they say was their ability to endure, but, though Christ, had success by relying on God and not on themselves. 

In my opinion, life has a way of bringing us to our knees.   Making us hit rock bottom and seeing no earthly way out of a mess that we put ourselves.  But, as my dad always told me, that’s where God comes to you.  He comes to you where you are and extends his hand, saying in Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

“Come to me” he says.  Give in to me.  I’m here.  I’m with you.

Some of us may still say, “but I’m not worthy!” or “this sinful body prevents me from taking his hand!”

The bible tells us that Paul had the same affliction.  In Romans 7 “14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.  “What a wretched man I am!”  But thanks be to God that he can and will deliver us from ourselves.  Again in 2 cor 1 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

Go to him you who are weary.  He will forgive you of what you have done and give you comfort from the guilt that may be in you.  Or any affliction that you may have.  He promises rest.  And comfort.  That we may comfort those that are in any affliction.

Amen