Why did I do that?

Read It:  Romans 7:15,24-25a (NLT)

15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.  

24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Learn It:

Just like last weeks devotion we find another wonderful text that really speaks to who we are as people.  That is probably what is so powerful about Paul as a writer, speaker, and servant of Christ...he knows what it is like to be someone who has messed up and done things that he shouldn't have done.  Paul was one of the main persecutors of Christianity from the beginning and now he is the main teller of the faith.  Even still, he doesn't always do the right thing and he admits his own failings so that he can show the Romans that people aren't perfect but it is God who is perfect and God through Jesus Christ that frees us from our lives that are dominated by sin.

Share It:

This week I am going to put a little pressure on the parents.  I would like the parents to share with their families times when they've done things they shouldn't have done.  What were things in your youth or young adulthood that you did when you knew you shouldn't have?  Share with your family to show that we all do our best but sometimes we slip up.  The rest of the family...as kids there are plenty of times when you don't always do as your told.  Share a time when you did that and felt terrible afterward.  This is a time not to judge or criticize but simply to hear the stories of how none of us are perfect, but in our imperfection God loves us still!

Live It:

This week when you realize you did something maybe you shouldn't have done take a moment and think about why you did it and then reflect on this verse.  Also if you encounter or learn about something that someone did and shouldn't have remind yourself...none of us are perfect...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try!

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Please post comments with your experience with the share it or live it part of this weeks post.  Let others know if you and your family found this useful.