You ever find yourself doing something and you think to yourself, why did I do that?

You ever feel this urge welling up inside of you to do something that you know that you shouldn’t do, but you can’t seem to help yourself?

You ever just find yourself, almost at war with yourself?  You know right from wrong.  You know what you should do.  You know, as a Christian, what you should be thinking, how you should be acting, how you should be living.

But yet you find yourself doing the same things wrong, over and over and over again.  And you just can’t stand it?

Welcome to the club.  You are sinful.  It doesn’t mean that you are scum or terrible, or the worst person that’s ever lived.  It means that you are a broken, imperfect human.  Just like everyone that’s ever lived.

Paul felt the same way.  Listen to what he says today in Romans 7: 14-19:

14 For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. 15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. 17 But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.

Paul just can’t understand it.  He wants to do right.  He really does.  Yet he finds himself doing wrong over and over again.  He can’t stand it.

The very thing he should do, he doesn’t do, and the very thing he should not do, he does.  He just can’t stand it.  The war within himself.

He realizes that he is imperfect.  And sinful.  And needs Jesus.

Just like me and you.

We are sinful. We make mistakes.  We are broken and imperfect.  We need Jesus.

We aren’t good enough on our own.  It’s not a matter of willpower or wanting it.  We keep messing up. We keep blowing it.  We keep doing the things that we shouldn’t do.

We are imperfect.

Welcome to the club.  We are just like everyone that’s ever lived.  Imperfect, broken sinners that need Jesus.  That need grace.  That need to know the goodness of salvation.

You are sinful.  Yes.  You are.  And it’s ok.  Well, it’s not ok.  It’s not good for you. It’s destructive.  But it’s ok.

You are human.  You are in need.

And God loves you.  He really does.

So, yes.  You are sinful.  Welcome to the club.  I am too.  We all are.  We need Jesus.

Today, in Him, you can be forgiven.

Don’t beat yourself up.  Don’t feel like you are the worst ever.  You are an imperfect human that needs grace.  It’s ok.  I am too.

Welcome to the club.

Today, as imperfect as we all are, may we find God’s grace there waiting on us. And may we live, not by our own works.  But may we live by His grace.

If you’d like to be added to my devotional list, click here to sign up. You also can read these thoughts on St. Matthew’s mobile app. Click here to download!