Tuesdays Thoughts

I was reading a chapter out of the book Little House in the Big Woods, by Garth Williams, last night, when we got to the end of the chapter, Pa said "There is a good reason for what I tell you to do, and if you'll as your told no harm will come to you."
All day today this thought has been going through my mind and I finally realized that this must be what our heavenly Father thinks about us. Why do we fight what he wants us to do, why can't we just do what He tells us to. We tell our children all the time to "Listen to me ", "why can't you mind me." I mean, we are all guilty of saying these things, and a few others I'm sure, to our kids aren't we? But I get the feeling that at times my heavenly Father is saying the same things to me. "If you would just do what I tell you to," I can imagine that this is what He says about me all the time. I mean no disrespect with this, I know that the bible say that His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are not our ways, But I think you know what I'm getting at.

Why is it so hard for us as Christian's to just live our lives as His Word tells us to, why must we constantly be trying to do things our own way. I think the answer to that is found in Romans 7:15 For that which I do I allow not:for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that I do.
v.16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.v.17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.v.18 For I know that in me(that is, in my flesh,)dwelleth no good thing:for to will is present with me;but how to perform that which is good I find not.v.19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
Skipping down to verses 22-25 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

I love the part"O wretched man that I am!" O how I need to realize more often that I am a wretched person with out the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I believe that the previous verse are talking about a war between two natures, our nature that wants to love and obey God and our nature which wants to serve the world and sin. My dad often tells the story of a little boy who says that he feels like he has two big dogs down on the inside of him fighting all the time and when ask which one wins the little boy replys " which ever one I say sic 'em to the most".

So how do we overcome this war within ourselves? Verses 2-4 of Romans chapter 8 sum it all up for me; For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, that is how we can overcome the battles we have in the flesh that might would cause our Heavenly Father to look down and say That brandie whatever am I going to with her, If she would just listen to me and do what I say, ( I can just picture Him shaking His head at me sometimes)...
Well this is my thoughts for the day. My prayer is that I would strengthen the nature that God placed within me to be more like Him and less, much less, like a disobedient child. (Not that any of my children would disobey:) not ever(yea right)
Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts for the day!