Do as the Romans do. Not exactly a good idea unless you are wanting to be like the Roman Christians. Trouble is the Christians today don't want to do what Christians are supposed to do. There is this adverse reaction to doing what they know to be right to do. I know that I fight that battle every day and often lose in one sector of life or another. It's a constant daily struggle. "Just give it to God." doesn't work for me. "Bind Satan and live victoriously." doesn't work for me either. Why? Because that's treating the symptoms and not the cause. Symptoms are what sin is. Symptoms of not having become sick of our sin enough to give it up. At least it's true for me. I don't know how you live your perfect life but maybe you'd like to share it with me. Everything was going good in my Christian life until I woke up and got dressed. Upon waking we are bombarded with thoughts, images and words that trigger that old man inside awake as well. For instance, when I am on a diet being in the house is kind of okay, in the living room is kind of okay, and the same is true of the bedroom and bathroom. BUT when I step into the kitchen...better lock down the fridge and cupboards! It's crazy making at it's worst. The more we feel denied, the more we think we have the right to whatever it is that is being denied.
Struggles are constant in life. We struggle with success as much as we struggle with failure. We are tempted to place success and failure in place of being validated as human being. What? You failed. You are a failure. You succeeded. You are a success. But that's not what is supposed to happen. The Bible tells us to be more than conquerors. The Bible tells us to fight temptation and to focus on God. The Bible tells us to overcome those things that battle within us. Paul (in the Bible) calls himself the greatest of all sinners. He says that he does that which he knows he shouldn't do and does not do that which he knows he should do. Sound familiar? Here is the man of God who wrote much of the New Testament, started countless churches, ministered to multitudes, and the list goes on and on. He says he is nothing but "a wretched man." A failure. Like me. Like you. He struggled all of his life and not just up to the point where he gave his life to Christ.
Paul went to Rome. He was a prisoner and he was taken there at his request not because of his desire to be a martyr but because he needed to complete his ministry there. In Rome he was anything but a prisoner. Yes, he had a cell. Yes, he couldn't go outside the prison. Yes, he at prison food. BUT he did not act anything like a prisoner. He wrote letters, talked to people and introduced them to Jesus and he unleashed the power of God by doing what the Romans didn't do. He worshipped the true God. I can do the same. My prison is different but the choices are the same. I may have a victory today in one area and fail in another. But I can choose to live for God. I may succeed at the tasks before me but fail to see that which is right before my eyes. But I can to still choose to live for God. It's not about success as much as it's about staying focused even when we fail. Staying focused on the goal is where Paul found his strength. By choosing to stay focused on the goal we too can find our strength.
I'm not perfect, haven't been perfect and won't be perfect until I am in Heaven. I choose to wake up this day, give it to God and do my best to make that choice over and over each time I fail. Focus is a choice. Yours and mine to make.
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