The "Do" verses...

For I don’t understand what I am doing. For I do not do what I want – instead, I do what I hate. But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good. But now it is no longer me doing it, but sin that lives in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very evil I do not want! Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.
Romans 7:15-20

To me, these verses are such a comfort. When you can read them and understand them, you realize that God does get it! I call them the "do" verses because of how often that word is used. Okay...some background, Romans is written to baptized Christians who are trying to live a christian life. He is talking about that all Christians sin and these verses paraphrased by me go something like this...

I don't know why I do bad things. I don't want to, I want to be good and do what I should but I end up doing things that I can't stand. Even when I do bad things, I know that the things that God wants me to do are right. But, now that I am in Christ (baptized and living daily for Him), it's not me (the spiritual) doing these bad things, it's the physical (earthly) side. I know there is sin on earth and I know that as long as I am here, I will sin.

So, I find the law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God in my inner being. But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
Romans 7:21-25

So, I know what I should do but there are times, I don't do it. Even though I want and know that what God wants me to do is the way to go, there is a struggle between my heart and body. How can I bring these two ways of thinking together? Through Jesus, of course! As long as I give him my heart and soul, He knows that my flesh belongs to the Earth. This is the grace that Jesus gives us.

But!

What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that our grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?
Romans 6:1-2

Just because God knows the struggles we face doesn't mean we get a free ticket to act out all of our earthly desires! As you grow closer to the Lord, the struggles will get easier and there won't be temptations put in our path where He won't give us a way out. This is just so reassuring knowing that we don't have to be perfect and God isn't up there with a check list going, "Boy, you sure messed that up!" Doesn't that just make you feel good? This is what God meant for it to be - reassuring.