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Good Morning! Remember the kiddy song "My God is so big"? It taught us that He is "so strong and so mighty there's nothing my God cannot do". HE is so powerful that He is never powerless! God can do all things because He has all Power. And so can His Son, Jesus. For all Power was given unto Him in heaven and earth.

But we can do all things for we have that same Power. The Bible tells me that "we shall receive [that] Power" whenever the Holy Ghost comes upon us. The word "upon" means to be "simultaneously up and on". Thus, when we are filled and overflowing with the Holy Ghost we have His Power available and it is only through the "availability" of this Power Source that we can do all things.

But we must recognize that this process is all God and no man! No matter how good I try to be, I remain an incredibly flawed man. As a flawed man, my only hope for His Power is His compassion in the face of my powerless position. It is the undeserved goodness of God that gives me His power in spite of my human inefficiencies.

Paul pointed out that as a flawed man he had a sin problem that got in the way every time he tried to do the right thing. Remember his frustrating refrain in Romans 7? Let's look at it and see if this sounds similar to any current struggle of ours. Read it slowly as the wording is difficult to follow.

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." (Romans 7:15). Wow! What a frustrating way to have to live your life. This was the converted Apostle Paul discussing CURRENT AND PRESENT TENSE sin problems in his life. He didn't only do things he didn't want to do; he was doing things he "hated" to do. Love the guy, but he was struggling!

But in verse 17, Paul points out that it was not his will that he do these things. It was the sin that willed him to do these things. "Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." He had learned that he had a flaw that he couldn't eradicate. That flaw was sin's pestering presence that kept him from attaining any level of perfection within him. (Verse 18) "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."

So, Paul realized that his will was right (which is part of the soul) but his sin nature was stubborn and would negotiate with his will until it won out; leaving Paul doing things that he had committed NOT to do! Man! Paul was a man!

Being a man we can conclude that even Paul was a mere mortal, flawed and desperately inept at living the Christian life in his own power. As a matter of fact, he could not stop himself from doing the wrong things he didn't want to do and he couldn't even get himself to do the right things he WANTED to do. Listen to his next confession in verse 19: "For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do."

But just like he couldn't take the credit for when he did right, we WOULDN'T take the blame when he did wrong. (Verse 20) "Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." How could he conclude such a thing? It is because he knew that "when I would do good, evil is present with me."

But there was delight in the midst of his demise and he found that delight in the Power of the inward man: "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man" (vs. 22). He realized the power to overcome sin was found with IN! God had placed a seed that could and would grow into a dominating Force and overcome that which warred within his members. "He had learned that greater is He that is IN you than he that is in the world!"

But wherein was this conclusion? It was in the realization of verse 18 "but how to perform that which is good I find not." Paul realized his performance based lifestyle of forty some years was not going to get him any closer to God. He couldn't do right, no matter how hard he tried, he only failed to do right and instead did wrong.

So, his only conclusion at the time of the all inspiring discourse of Romans 6, 7 and 8 is found in verse 1 of chapter 8 and that is "I refuse to be called into condemnation for my failures". I am not the one that is supposed to be perfect. I am the one that is supposed to be flawed. Yes, God works through the life of a flawed man, but God works best through the life of a dead man!

When Paul stopped trying and simply died to self, then the "flaw of Paul" who could not figure out "how to perform that which is good" finally realized that "He which hath begun a good work IN you will perform it!"

Paul never really discussed his sin problems much after that, at least not to the confessional degree of Romans 7. He seemed to focus more on what He did right then what he did wrong. He focused on His Perfection in the face of his own imperfections. He saw God's work IN his spirit and his own flaws IN his body and determined that in order to "win any battle over sin" something had to change. If it didn't then Paul realized he would never enjoy huge gains in life.

Thus he concluded "for me to live IS Christ and to die is gain". No pain, no gain!

A QUESTION FOR TODAY'S MEDITATION: "When faced with difficult people, do I yield to His meekness, or am I spreading my discord?"