^21-23 It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. ²⁴ I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

²⁵ The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (Romans 7:21-25 The Message)

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Is there not a sort of blood shed when the conscience is wounded? ¹

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The Apostle Paul clearly states the Christian’s dilemma: We love God and His Word, yet we sin against God and His Word. When we do sin, our conscience should be “wounded” and we may have “a sort of blood shed” inside of us, knowing that we have betrayed our beliefs and, in the process, also hurt our Lord and Savior by our actions and thoughts.  But it is not the shedding of a single drop of our “blood” that can save us. The only saving grace for our weakness in sinning is Jesus Christ, who took our sins upon Himself and shed His own blood that we might live.  He taught us how to overcome sin through His life on earth, and He saved us through His sacrifice on the cross.

^21-25This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.  He never did one thing wrong, Not once said anything amiss.

They called Him every name in the book and He said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls. (1 Peter 2:24-25 The Message)

Jesus is our Shepherd, a refuge from outside dangers. But we have to draw near to Him in order to receive this protection. When we stray outside His fold, we confront temptations to sin. It is through God’s grace and mercy that we can return again and again to His opening arms, in spite of our sins, for they are covered by the blood of Christ. Yet, we must feel the wound in our conscience to approach Him. We have sinned before the Lord. This conscience, embedded within us by God in creation, should bring us to our knees in penitence. It is, then, that the Lord can draw us back to Him—though He waits for us to come long before this repentance occurs.  This wound, festering inside us from sins we commit, must hurt and bleed, so that we need to ask forgiveness and seek healing through the salve of His mercy and grace.

 God’s Mercy and Grace for You and Me, Sinners.

Thank you, Lord.

¹Thoreau, Henry David. Civil Disobedience – Part 2 of 3.  http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil2

(Sharon G. Tate blog 08/07/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word