3 Day Devotional: Dear Good People - Day 1

Scripture
Romans 7:15-19 (NRSV)
"I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I who do it but sin that dwells within me. For I know that the good does not dwell within me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do the good lies close at hand, but not the ability. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do”

Reflection
Most of us have things we want to change. We want to pray more faithfully, forgive more freely, trust God more deeply, and worry less often. We make promises to ourselves and sometimes even promises to God. Our intentions are sincere.

Paul understood that struggle. His problem was not desire. He genuinely wanted to obey God. He delighted in God's law and wanted what was good. Yet he discovered a painful truth: wanting to do right is not the same as being able to do right.

Many believers live with the frustration of good intentions that never seem to become consistent actions. We know what God desires. We agree with His ways. We may even insist that this time will be different. Yet we often find ourselves falling short.

The problem is deeper than a lack of knowledge or motivation. Good intentions reveal what we desire, but they cannot produce righteousness. Only God can do that.

The encouraging news is that God never asks us to trust our intentions. He invites us to trust Him. Transformation begins when we stop relying on our determination and start depending on His grace.

Today, ask yourself where your confidence rests. Is it in your promises to God, or in God's power to change you?

Reflection Questions
1. What area of your life is filled with good intentions but little change?
2. Where have you been relying on your own resolve instead of God's strength?
3. What would it look like to surrender that struggle to Christ today?

Prayer
Father, thank You for knowing both my desires and my weaknesses. Forgive me for trusting in my own determination. Help me depend on Your grace and Your Spirit. Teach me to follow You with a heart that trusts You more than itself. Amen.