”O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this 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 7:24-25
No matter how hard we try, we just can’t measure up to what God demands of us in His holy commandments. Even as believers with a new nature that loves God and desires to please Him, we come short and are poor, wretched sinners! Thankfully, God sent His only-begotten Son to redeem us and, through faith in Christ, we are forgiven and granted everlasting life in fellowship with God.
Thank You, dear Heavenly Father, for sending Your only-begotten Son to pay the price for my sins and failings that I might have Your pardon and forgiveness through faith in Christ Jesus and His cross. Graciously keep me in the true and saving faith unto that Day when You will raise me up, without sin, to serve You forever in righteousness and true holiness. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.” Romans 7:18
In our human nature, now corrupted by sin, there is nothing good and no ability to keep God’s law. Even if we agree that the commandments of God are good and right, we still lack the capacity to keep God’s commandments from the heart. We need a Savior!
Have mercy upon me, O God, forgive my sins for Jesus Christ’s sake, and cleanse my heart and soul that I might serve You and live according to Your holy commandments. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me.” Romans 7:10-11
God’s good commandments did not bring about our spiritual and eternal death; the sin inherited from Adam and Eve, which infects us all, did. God’s law is good and right, given that we might have life, but we are turned in on ourselves and unable to grasp its rightness or keep it. Therefore, sin causes our death and condemnation, and the salvation God provided in His Son is our only hope!
Your law is good and right, O God, but I am a sinner and have not walked in accord with Your holy law. Forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness for the sake of Christ Jesus, my Savior, and then move me to live according to Your holy will. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Romans 7:7
The law of God is not sinful or flawed. It is perfect, but it reveals to us our sinfulness and our flawed nature when we hear its good and holy demands. If God’s law had not pointed out that we sin in our hearts when we are not satisfied with what God has given us and desire what is not rightfully ours, we would not have recognized this sinfulness or seen our need for a Savior.
Your commandments are good and right, O Lord. I am a sinner and deserving of Your wrath and punishment. Have mercy on me and pardon my sins for the sake of the blood of Christ Jesus, shed on the cross for the sins of all. In His name, I pray. Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11
In His Word, the LORD shows us the way of salvation through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 3:15). And, those who trust in Christ will share in the everlasting joys of heaven, being in the presence of the LORD and in perfect communion with Him.
Thank You, O God, for graciously revealing to me the way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and His cross and for granting me the eternal joys of heaven! Amen.
[Scripture is quoted from the King James Version of the Bible.]
