I Want to Obey Jesus

Every morning our family eats breakfast and reads the Bible. We have been reading through the Old Testament. Today we read 1 Samuel 7.

My little girl spoke up with an observation, "The Israelites obey God and then disobey God. Obey. then disobey. They keep going back and forth!"

"That is so true!" I replied. "I feel like I am like them a lot!"

"Me, too!" she agreed. "I want to obey Jesus, but I am like the Israelites!" she admitted sincerely.

(Can I just say how much I just love her!?)

Then we flipped over to the New Testament pages and read Paul's candid confession:

[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. 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? - Rom 7:15-24

"But there's a hope!" I told her. "Paul says, 'Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin (Romans 7:25).' Jesus helps us! Isn't that good news?"

"Yes!" she said.

She's right. 

Really, that's the Good News! 

For everyone.