I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  Romans 7:15.  Brett says this text applies to golfing and driving in NYC.

Brett likes to golf so he suggested a walk this evening.  Thinking it had cooled down we put Aspen in her pj’s and stepped outside.  To our dismay it was still a little too warm for a walk, but Brett picked up his favorite golf club and a little white golf ball and we went for a walk despite the heat.  Brett likes to predict where the ball will land before he swings.  Sometimes it goes in the right direction and lands in the place he predicted.  Other times though while it starts out as a great shot, it will hit a tree branch and veer off course.  Then there are times it will land and roll down hill or across the street.  Finally, without any logical explanation that Brett can think of, the ball will leave his club head zooming off into directions never anticipated.  Occasionally it disappears into the trees never to be found by a human again.  Aspen likes to think there is a golf ball eating monster living in the woods.  Brett searches for these balls longer than necessary, but generally gives up due to fear of finding poison ivy rather than the missing golf ball.

Has life ever felt like that for you?  The day begins with a great start, you have a good morning devotional time with God and then as your day progresses you start to hit “snags” along the way and before you know it, WHAMMO! you’ve ended up in the rough or a sand trap of life.  Sometimes, we even think we are heading in a certain direction and without any logical explanation end up deep in the trees instead of the beautiful fairway.  If you are completely lost on our analogy, here’s the bottom line: have you ever done something you knew was wrong, don’t want to do it but end up doing it anyway?  And then, after surviving consequences of these poor choices, knowing how bad a choice it is…do it again!  Now you begin to understand the essence of today’s passage.

Apparently, according to Paul, all of us suffer from this disease of stupidity.  The good news is, so did he.  Without trying to tackle this entire passage in one post, we’ll take it one bit at a time.  So for today, I just want you to know, that when you think about all those times in your life that you look back on and ask yourself, “Why in the world did I do such stupid things again and again?  Will I never learn?  Is there no hope for me?”  Take heart.  This is precisely what Paul was feeling when he wrote this.  So be of good cheer, you are in good company.  There really isn’t anything desperately wrong with you except that you’re a sinful human being like the rest of us loved by a passionate God.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.  Romans 7:15.