Happy Lifeday to you!

I fail too often. I fail to to be totally faithful. I fail to be totally focused on God. I fail to follow God's commands every day. I fail to steer around the temptations that come my way. I fail when I sin and I fail way too often!

Some would see this as a life that couldn't be connected with God.

Some day it feels like it.

"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." (Romans 7:21-23, The Message)

Those are St. Paul's words, and they are mine. They are probably yours, too, if you're honest. Even though we are faithful, we still live in this human, sinful world. Sin still works in us and on us. Until we are completely at home in heaven with Christ, we have to deal with the world around us and that includes sin. And dealing with it takes effort, discipline and the knowledge that we cannot do it by ourselves.

We cannot over come sin.

But Jesus can!

Paul goes on to say, "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? 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 7:24-25, The Message)

When Christians sin, and we do, the temptation is to withdraw from God, from church, from our Christian friends and family. The temptation is to think badly about ourselves, to question our faith, to wonder if we were ever really a Christian in the first place. But it's just that, temptation. Sure God isn't pleased when any of us sins (especially Christians), but God doesn't turn his back on us. In fact, it's God who reminds us what actions are sin. It's not our conscience, its the Holy Spirit. And He's not judging us, but reminding us who we are...

and Whose we are!

And that's exactly what Satan wants us to forget.

So you're not a perfect Christian. Neither am I. But we are Christians not because of our sinlessness or our earned righteousness. We are Christians because we trust in the Son of God who takes away our imperfection and gives us God's righteousness. (It's called justification.)

It's a gift.

And when we feel like Christian failures it's because we forget to open the gift every day!

Today is your Lifeday (every day is.)! It's a day that Christ's life has been given to you.

Enjoy it.

Peace ><>
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