Blog Archives

SIGNIFICANT DATE!

10/28/2022

After spending a few days down in a neighboring state visiting relatives this past week, I made the four hour long drive home. It just so happened that the date of my return trip happened to be my birthday. And it was one I will not soon forget.

It had one thing in common with most of my other birthdays. It was filled with well wishes from family and friends. I got an assortment of cards, calls, texts, and emails, and even a present or two! Naturally, all of these were greatly appreciated.

But one thing set this birthday apart. It was something that happened as I was driving home. I topped a hill and happened up on a car accident that had obviously just happened. It could not have unfolded more than five or ten minutes or so before.

A car was upside down in the ditch, with major damage and smoke and steam coming forth. Skid marks marred the intersection. A couple of other cars were stopped already, ostensibly either to lend assistance and/or to testify as to what had happened. Lastly, two police cars and a first responder were pulled alongside as well, all with lights flashing.

What caught my attention in all of this, and what I will likely never forget, was the sight of a first responder and a police officer zipping a body into a body bag just as I was passing. Clearly, at least one person involved in the accident had already been pronounced dead on the spot.

As I made my way down the road, I encountered two different ambulances en route. I like to hope that this means that one or more people survived. But even if they did, I’m sure the day was one they will long regret, no matter who was at fault.

My thoughts also kept returning to the deceased individual. Heretofore, the date of my birth has always held significance to me as the day in which I was granted life. From this day forward, however, it will have double significance as it will also be remembered by me as one on which another lost his or her life.

It is somewhat ironic that I had just left a cemetery at which I had stopped on my way home in order to pay my respects to a long lost ancestor. Perhaps this is the reason I thought about headstones as I drove along. On my headstone, the month and the day will eventually be carved as that of my birth. On another’s headstone, however, that same month and day will now be carved as the date of their death.

Of course, my headstone will inevitably have a date for my death as well as a date for my birth. I am like every other person who has ever lived in that the New Testament Book of Hebrews (in chapter 9, verse 27) tells us that “each person is destined to die once”, and that “after that comes judgment”.

None of us knows the day or hour of our death. We only know that it will assuredly happen one day. Given this, it behooves each of us to live our lives in such a way so as to be ready for what comes after we depart this life.

It is a blessing to live in this world. But how much more of a blessing will it be to live in the world to come! And if we know Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior, then we must only face death “once”. But if not, then we will have to face death “twice”- once in this life and once again in eternity.

I hope the individual and/or individuals who died in that accident was/were prepared for the moment that their earthy life/lives ended. For my part, I know I am, for I am ready, as the Apostle Paul affirms, to “stand before Christ to be judged”.

I hope you are as well. If not, then why not let today be a significant date for you? Why not let today be the day you get prepared for the next life by coming to know Christ? Why not let today be your spiritual birthday?

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/hebrews/9-27.htm;

https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/5-10.htm.

WHO’S AFRAID NOW?

10/24/2022

While visiting relatives in Alabama this week, I took my normal daily walk. The only problem is that I was not the only one on the road. I had ventured a about a quarter of a mile when I encountered what seemed to me what may well be the single largest German Shepherd alive on the planet today. I do not know his name, but “Cujo” would certainly be appropriate.

In any event, I noticed him about the same time he noticed me. As he came down the driveway of the house where he apparently resides, my initial response was to freeze. He was clearly growling in order to let me know that he did not know who I was and that I was not welcome on his turf.

I will not lie. I was overcome with an irresistible desire to turn and run! But I fought the urge to do so and decided to call his bluff. As he approached me, I boldly returned the favor. Only, rather than growling at him, I held out my hand, snapping my fingers and speaking to him in a friendly, soothing, and welcoming manner.

It worked. He soon ceased his aggressive behavior and adopted a more conciliatory manner. When we finally came face to face, I reached out and petted him and talked to him in a way that let him know I was pleased to see him. In short order, we had become friends, and he walked along with me for a short while before veering off to make what appeared to be his regular patrol of his domain.

As I walked on, I remembered why I was so guarded around German Shepherds. As a child, I loved to go and play at my friend’s house. But between his house and mine, a distance of some three to four miles, was a house where an enormous specimen of this very breed resided.

Simply put, if I wanted to see my friend, I had to pass by this house on my bike. And in the process, I had to encounter this terrifying beast. The best approach, developed over time, was to get a good start from about a quarter of a mile away and peddle with all my might in order to gain as much speed as possible and zoom past the monster before it had a chance to intercept and accost me.

Even as I write this, my palms are sweating as I recall how close that colossal creature came at times to my legs as I furiously peddled for my life!

All of which raises the question as to what changed along the way… Why was I so deathly afraid of a dog fifty years ago and not now? And the answer is that I, and not the dog, am the one who changed! Rather than respond in fear and panic at the aggressive approach of a German Shepherd, I now respond with boldness and confidence, for I no longer fear the encounter.

Granted, I am now twice as tall and a full hundred and fifty pounds heavier than I was back in the day. If push came to shove, I could likely hold my own against a dog attack, at least long enough until help arrived.

But more to the point, while I am no “Dog Whisperer”, I have now reached the point that I know most dogs can be managed simply by the way one responds to them. If you show fear in response to their aggression, they are only encouraged. By contrast, if you boldly go up to them and show them that you are not scared, you largely call their bluff.

And besides, even if this approach does not work, whenever I walk, I make certain to carry on my person what I will say are appropriate defensive mechanisms. Being thusly equipped gives me all the added confidence I might otherwise need to survive any encounter with an aggressive animal.

I share these thoughts in light of what the Apostle Paul had to say in First Corinthians, chapter 13, verse 11, when he said: “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.”

Whether it is facing up to a local dog while transiting past its turf or facing up to far more serious challenges to my person on the journey of life, it behooves me to live my life with confidence rather than fear!

Fear in the face of danger is the quality of childhood. Confidence in the face of challenge is the quality of adulthood. The former is more a reflection of a state of immaturity; whereas the latter is a more a reflection of a state of maturity!

And it for this reason that the Bible tells us (in Psalm 56, verse 1-4) that King David once prayed: “Be merciful to me, O God, for men are hounding me; all day they press their attack. My enemies pursue me all day long, for many proudly assail me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise - in God I trust. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

His words here reflect his earlier affirmation in Psalm 23, verse 4, when he famously said: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

David knew then what I have now come to know, and what the Apostle Paul also came to know (as he stated in Romans, chapter 8, verse 31), and that is this: “If God is for us, who can be against us?!”

Let’s face it… most dogs are far more bark than bite! But I, for one, have now lived long enough to learn that this is also true of the vast majority of other challenges I face. Given this, I could choose to live my life in fear; but I choose not to. I choose instead to live in the confidence that comes with knowing the Lord Himself has my back. And that is good enough for me!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/1_corinthians/13.htm;

https://biblehub.com/bsb/psalms/56.htm;

https://biblehub.com/bsb/romans/8.htm.

SIGHT FOR SORE EYES!

10/19/2022

One often reads the strangest things in the news. Consider an October 19, 2022 story by Bob Cronin over at www.Newser.com titled Doctor Discovers Many Contact Lenses In A Patient's Eye: Video Becomes A Viral Reminder To Take Contacts Out Every Night.

According to the article, a California woman who was overdue for a checkup was dealing with blurry vision and pain in her right eye. For this reason, she went to see her ophthalmologist, Dr. Katerina Kurteeva, who practices in Newport Beach, telling her that it felt like there was something in her eye that she was unable to remove.

The doctor took a look in her eye, suspecting perhaps a bit of a broken contact lens, an eyelash, makeup debris, or even a cornea scratch as the culprit. What she discovered was completely unexpected: nearly two dozen contacts stuffed into the woman's eye!

By employing an anesthetic and a yellow stain to help her spot scratches or foreign bodies, Dr. Kurteeva did not initially see any problems on the cornea. But eventually, after asking her patient to look down, she spotted what appeared to be the edges of a couple of contacts stuck to each other.

Naturally, she began pulling them out. Soon, she encountered so many that it appeared as if a blob was stuck to the eye – so much so that it almost looked like a second pupil. Intrigued, she kept pulling as the contacts came out in a chain.

The doctor was reported as having said: “There were a lot of contact lenses—I thought this could be my Guinness Book of World Record moment.” She was so struck by what she encountered that she then posted a video of the lenses on her office Instagram account.

It turns out that the patient is in her mid-70s and has been wearing contacts for more than thirty years. The doctor said that the corneal nerve endings can become less sensitive over such a lengthy period of time, which would explain how the patient could not feel the 22 extra lenses.

A follow up appointment a month later found that the patient is now doing well. She is also wearing contacts again, though only after having taken a break as recommended by the ophthalmologist.

The good news is that, given that so many other possible outcomes were possible, including an infection, loss of vision, or cornea scratch, all seems to have turned out well. As for the video, it has now gone viral and is being used by optometrists the world over to remind patients of the importance of removing their contacts every single night.

For my part, I have been blessed with reasonably good vision. As a result, I have never had to wear contacts; and accordingly, I have never run the risk of winding up with a blob of them in my eye. Of course, I can still relate to having gotten something in my eye on occasion. At some point, we all have.

Jesus once cautioned about checking our eyes for foreign objects. He did so in His famed Sermon on the Mount found in the New Testament Gospel of Matthew (chapter 7, verses 1-5):

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

How right Jesus was here; for just as we have all periodically gotten some small irritant in our physical eye, so have we all on occasion gotten a plank in our spiritual eye! As bad as I hate to admit it, I know I have. Perhaps you have as well.

Of course, the good news is that when this befalls us, we have Someone Who can help us get it out. His name is Jesus; and as the divine Physician, He is uniquely qualified to restore proper spiritual sight to anyone who seeks His help.

It is entirely possible to go through life for lengthy periods of time without knowing we have such a problem. But eventually, the matter will manifest itself. And once it does, the discomfiture will invariably be such that some resolution will be needed. The next time you face such a situation, remember the words of Jesus.

ARTICLE SOURCE:

https://www.newser.com/story/326883/doctor-discovers-many-contact-lenses-in-a-patients-eye.html.

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/7.htm.

LEFT BEHIND?

10/14/2022

Back in the day, Karl Malden was a famous actor with an illustrious career. The star of television's The Streets of San Francisco also had several standout roles in films, including Patton, On the Waterfront, and A Streetcar Named Desire, for which he won an Academy Award.

Yet, he arguably wound up being remembered more for an ad campaign he undertook near the end of his life, when serving as a pitchman for American Express traveler’s cheques, he uttered the now famous tag line: “Don’t Leave Home Without Them!”

The truth be known, there are probably certain things we should never leave home without in this modern era. These might include our driver’s licenses, our debit cards, our smart phones, and similar such essentials for living in today’s world.

But sometimes, it might well be appropriate to make certain that we do leave some things behind. Not everything needs to be carried with us throughout life. A recent episode serves to illustrate and underscore this well.

Being semi-retired, my wife and I have a little less money and a little more time. For this reason, we have learned to economize. Accordingly, we cancelled our trash collection service, preferring instead to haul our refuse to the local recycle center on our own.

On a recent trip there, I unloaded several bags of garbage into the receptacle before dutifully dispensing carboard, newspaper, plastic bottles, and a few old batteries into their respective collection bins. After completing this process, I returned to my truck, buckled up, and proceeded to drive out onto the road. Imagine my surprise to see, sitting right beside the exit gate, a trash can!

I laughed as I thought to myself: “Now, what a place for a trash can! After all, isn’t the whole point that everyone proceeding through this gate now no longer has any trash to deposit?!” And yet, the longer I thought about it as I drove away, the more I realized that it is indeed likely that people come to the one place where they are meant to unload their garbage and still go away from there carrying some of it with them!

What a picture of how we so often operate, especially in regard to our spiritual lives! How many people come to the altar to lay a burden down, only to carry it with them when they depart? How many people come to the throne of grace whey are given the opportunity to unburden themselves only to cling to some portion of that burden as they return to their daily lives?

In First Peter chapter 5, verses 6-7 (NLT), we read: “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Peter’s admonition is apropos here. He does not tell us to give only a portion of our worries and cares to God, but rather all of them!

Maybe then, an extra trash can at the exit is a good thing! Maybe, just maybe, we all need to be reminded that when we leave the dump, we need to leave all of our garbage there behind us! We do not have to take any portion of it with us. Nor do we need to.

The same is true for our shortcomings. When God forgives us of our transgressions, He does so far all of them, not for part of them. And if He is willing to take this full burden from us, then we should certainly be willing to leave all of it with Him!

SOURCE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Malden#Television.

SCRIPTURE:

https://biblehub.com/nlt/1_peter/5.htm.

STICKING AROUND

10/10/2022

My wife and I are doubly blessed in that not only do we live in an area full of greenery, but our own property is also laden with a wide variety of trees, many of which are very tall and evidently hundreds of years old.

Because of this, we get to enjoy the many benefits of being surrounded by an abundance of trees. Chief among these, perhaps, is the sheer beauty they display. For instance, the fall foliage is currently unfolding here in east Tennessee. With each passing day, the fabulous colors of fall become increasingly evident in the trees all about us. Few things are as majestic to the eye as is taking in the view of a stand of hardwoods in their full autumn splendor.

Of course, another benefit of having so many trees around is the shade they afford us in the months leading up to the fall. Here in the southeast, the humidity in July, August, and September can often be quite oppressive. But as the sun moves overhead each day, it eventually passes above the tree line on the western side of our yard. When this happens, much of our lawn and our front porch become shaded. The corresponding temperature decline is immediately appreciable.

There are other benefits as well. We enjoy the fruit of wild elderberry, mulberry, and persimmon trees. We also receive an annual harvest of walnuts and hickory nuts. And even the nuts we do not eat, such as acorns, still produce a harvest in that they draw in squirrels, turkey, and deer in large numbers. All in all, the trees which surround our humble abode provide us with a multiplicity of blessings.

But they also provide certain other things, not all of which are welcome. For instance, the walnuts that fall in great number each fall litter the roads and the driveway. They fall with such frequency and with such force that they can be painful if they hit one’s head.

What is more, they are large enough that, if stepped on, they can twist an ankle. Similarly, if they are hit by a lawnmower blade when chopping up leaves (yet another downside of so many trees), they can become airborne projectiles that can do serious damage to vehicles, structures, or even people.

Acorns, though not as large, can also be quite painful if they happen to strike one’s head when they fall. Plus, there are so many more of them that the chances of this happening are greatly increased over walnut strikes. It also impacts one’s decision on where (and where not) to park one's vehicle.

Another unpleasant consequence of hardwoods is detritus. More than just nuts and leaves, trees shed a lot of other things. Among these are branches, twigs, and an abundance of seedpods. This is especially true of poplar trees, which produce prodigious amounts of seeds from cones. These small, sliver-like objects penetrate almost every available space (including one's clothes and shoes) where they often accumulate in huge numbers. And trust me; you do not want to step on one barefooted. Few things are as painful!

And yet, there is one last thing cast off by trees in the fall that is even more evident. That, of course, is sap.

Imagine a stretch of roadway immediately after a brief summer rainfall. The road is wet everywhere except directly under those places where trees overhang the road. Now, imagine the exact opposite, in which the roadway is completely dry everywhere except directly under the overhanging trees, where it is clearly darker, moist, and very sticky. The reason is that the overhanging trees have dripped copious amounts of sap onto the asphalt directly beneath them.

I finally figured this out after wondering not only why the road was discolored but also why my walking shoes consistently stuck and squeaked while I ambled over and beyond these places in my daily walks. Clearly, tree sap is designed to stick to and with whatever it touches!

This is no doubt why these spots have now been present on the roads for several weeks, and appear not to have any plans of going away any time soon. Time will tell just how long they last before they are eventually dried by the sun and the weather; but it certainly appears that the sap will still be present when the current season's leaves and nuts and seedpods have long gone.

All of this has led me to ask myself what all I leave behind me. As I have lived out my life and passed through this world, no doubt I have shed many a thing and left it behind me. Much of this is like leaves and nuts and similar such things in that they might have made an impression on others around me at the time I dispensed them. But one has to wonder just how long much of that lasted.

By contrast, I can only hope that certain other of the things I dispensed will have been more likely to have stuck! I can only hope that they affixed themselves and they stubbornly stayed around in the daily lives of those upon whom they landed.

The truth is that we all influence others on a daily basis. Such is the nature of human interaction. But only a select few of the things we actually say or do have truly lasting impact(s) on others. Given this recognition, surely it behooves us to consider more carefully the things we dispense upon others.

The Apostle Paul once told the believers at Corinth (in First Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 1 and 2): “You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ. I am so glad that you always keep me in your thoughts, and that you are following the teachings I passed on to you.” Clearly, the impact Jesus Christ had on Paul stuck, as did Paul’s impact on the Corinthians!

Throughout my life, in addition to the impact made upon me by Jesus Christ, numerous individuals have left me with things that have stuck! Many memorable truths, doctrines, principles, values, morals, and ethics come to mind here.

I am increasingly thankful for all of the people who impacted me with such things; and can only hope and pray that the same will one day be said of me as well. For only then will I know that my influence upon others truly stuck!

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:

https://biblehub.com/nlt/1_corinthians/11.htm.

WHO’S IN CHARGE HERE?!

10/6/2022

I’ve written before of my love for the old black and white Perry Mason television show. While viewing an episode recently, I was stuck by the fact that virtually every episode culminates in a court of law. Given that the show is about a criminal defense attorney, this might well be expected. But a surprising number of episodes do in fact have the famed attorney solving murders outside the confines of a courtroom.

The typical setting involves a regular and consistent set of characters, including standard courtroom personnel such as bailiffs and clerks, Mason and his associates, the accused, the police, the prosecutor, a string of witnesses, a few dozen spectators, and of course, the judge.

In the context, the authority in the room is always this latter individual. The photoplays naturally reflect the era in which they were written and filmed (the early 1960s) in that the judge is not only respected, but revered and even feared. To their credit, the various actors portraying this essential individual generally well personify the authority their character is expected to embody.

And yet, in real life, the various actors portraying the various judges are only bit players. They have no real authority. By contrast, the lead character, Perry Mason, is no bit player. He (or Raymond Burr, the individual who portrays him) is the real star. Even though he must temporarily submit to the imagined authority of the episodic judge, in the end, Mason will always come out on top. Conversely, the judge of the given episode will soon be forgotten, along with his supposed authority over the other characters.

As I reflected on this, I was reminded of the various earthly authorities in the Bible who held sway over individuals the world viewed as less significant than them. Whether it was Herod being in earthly authority over James in Acts 12:1-2, or Felix and Festus lording it over Paul in Acts 24 and 25, history has shown us that their perceived authority was only temporary at most.

Of course, this is nowhere more true than in the in the case of Pontius Pilate. In the moment (as recorded in Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 18), he may have come across as “large and in charge” while he sat in judgment over Jesus Christ. And yet, in the end, he was all but forgotten by history. Indeed, he is only remembered today for the role he played in that very drama!

It seems to me that there may well be relevance in all of this for modern day believers, especially here in America. Recent news reports have expounded on the decline of Christianity in this nation once known for her Judeo-Christian moorings. What is more, daily news reports reflect how believers increasingly pay the price for their convictions here in the good old U.S.A.

In all of this, the earthly judges appear to reign supreme. And yet, those of us who are believers would do well to remember that the drama unfolding all around us is fleeting at best and inconsequential at most. As was the case with James, Paul, and above all, Jesus, the things of this world have no true authority over the things of Heaven. This is because the former is temporary while the latter is eternal!

Are you a believer? If so, are you experiencing any sort of frustration and/or pain at the hands of others who seem to exult in their authority over you? Then take heart! I have good news for you. To borrow a phrase or two from Abraham Lincoln in his famed Gettysburg Address, such inconsequential things will be little noted nor long remembered, while other things will never be forgotten! In the original context, those inconsequential things were asserted by Lincoln to be the words which he spoke that day, while the other things to which Lincoln referred were the sacrifice of those whom they honored that day.

In the context to which I refer today, the inconsequential things, the things which will neither be noted nor long remembered, are the words and actions of those who Lord it over believers in this day and age; while the things which truly matter, and which will not soon be forgotten, are the sacrifices undertaken by any and all who suffer on behalf of the Kingdom of God!

Do not soon note nor forget that. I assure you that God will not!

SCRIPTURE SOURCES:

https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/12.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/24.htm;

https://biblehub.com/niv/acts/25.htm;

https://biblehub.com/john/18-28.htm. Take note here of the corresponding Scripture references in the right hand column.

SEE ALSO:

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/september/christian-decline-inexorable-nones-rise-pew-study.html;

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/;

https://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm.

FIXER UPPER

10/2/2022

While driving back home from visiting relatives out of state, I passed a sign in front of a car repair shop that said “We Do Break Repairs”. I smiled because I knew how the proprietor would feel once he or she discovered that the sign should read “Brake Repairs” instead of “Break Repairs”.

Plus I also knew what I was headed back home to blog about. You see, I am a Type A personality with Type O blood. My blood type is particularly fitting as I tend to make far too many “typos” when I write. And because of my personality type, I tend to freak out once I realize I have made them!

That is precisely what happened after I posted my previous blog. To my chagrin, I later discovered no less than three typos – all of which were glaring. Needless to say, I had some fixing up to do!

The first was the sentence that read “For this reason, thieves have turned to stealing converters from unsuspecting car owners, leaving the m with a bill of from $1000 t0 $3000 to replace this essential automotive component.” It has now been corrected to read “For this reason, thieves have turned to stealing converters from unsuspecting car owners, leaving them with a bill of from $1000 t0 $3000 to replace this essential automotive component.”

The second was the sentence that read “In his eponymous New Testament letter (chapter 3, verses 1-18), the Apostle James reminds of the significance of taming the tongue…” It now reads “In his eponymous New Testament letter (chapter 3, verses 1-18), the Apostle James reminds us all of the significance of taming the tongue…”

And lastly, the one once reading “Interestingly enough, James concludes his here admonition with these words: ‘Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.’” now reads “Interestingly enough, James concludes his admonition here with these words: ‘Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.’”

Now, I could easily blame Microsoft Word for these mistakes. But the truth is that, all too often, there is simply a bumbling disconnect between my brain and my fingers! The proof is that the same thing tends to happen whenever I send text messages, and later discover flagrant typos! As it does when I write myself notes, only to discover later that entire words are missing!

Can you relate to this? Likely you can. Far too many of us have become dependent upon autocorrect technologies. But typing is not the only area where so many of us make glaring mistakes. They show up in plenty of other areas as well. And in this regard, everyone can relate!

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul in the 7th chapter of the New Testament Book of Romans (verses 15-23):

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I admit that the law is good. In that case, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh; for I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do. Instead, I keep on doing the evil I do not want to do. And if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.”

He concludes his words with this powerful question in verse 24: “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” To this question, he immediately provides the only answer there is in verse 25 when he says: “Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

For my part, I will forever be grateful to my loving wife, who regularly reads my blogs and graciously points out the typos that I continually (and embarrassingly) make! Without her involvement, I could not correct and then move beyond these failures.

Of course, I will continue to be even more grateful to my Savior, Jesus Christ. For it is only through His intervention that I can overcome the sinful miscues that all too often dog me in virtually every other area of my daily life!

For this reason, I echo the words of the Apostle Paul and gladly proclaim: “Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

SCRIPTURE SOURCE:
https://biblehub.com/bsb/romans/7.htm.