Daily Worship (May 17)
Devotional 1: The War Within
Romans 7:14–25
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 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 agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. 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, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although 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 me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Devotional Thought
Have you ever felt frustrated by your own heart? Maybe you promised yourself you would be more patient, more loving, or more disciplined, only to fall back into the same sins again. The apostle Paul understood that struggle well. In Romans 7, he describes the painful battle between the desire to obey God and the sinful nature that still fights within believers.
This connects closely to Sunday’s sermon from James 4. James teaches that fights and quarrels begin with sinful desires battling within us. The greatest conflict in our lives is not merely with difficult people or stressful circumstances. The deeper battle is inside our own hearts. We fight the flesh, the world, and the devil every day.
Paul honestly admits that he does the things he hates and struggles to do the things he loves. That honesty is important. Christians are not people who pretend sin no longer exists. Christians are people who bring their struggle into the light and run to Jesus for grace.
The good news of the gospel is that we are not left alone in this battle. Paul cries out, “Who will rescue me?” and immediately points to Jesus Christ. James says, “He gives more grace.” God does not abandon believers when they struggle. Instead, he gives grace to humble people who confess their need for help.
Many times our anger, jealousy, bitterness, and conflict with others reveal deeper desires in our hearts. We want control, comfort, recognition, or pleasure. Instead of turning those desires into sinful actions, God calls us to turn them into prayer. Prayer is part of the fight before the fight. When we humble ourselves before God, confess our weakness, and ask for help, God gives grace to fight sin faithfully.
The Christian life is a daily war against sin, but it is also a daily experience of God’s mercy. Because of Jesus, there is hope even in the middle of the struggle.
COMMA Questions
Prayer
Lord, I confess that there is still a battle with sin inside my heart. Forgive me for the times I give in to selfish desires and pride. Thank you that Jesus gives more grace to sinners like me. Teach me to fight temptation through prayer, humility, and dependence on you. Amen.
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 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 agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. 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, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: Although 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 me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Devotional Thought
Have you ever felt frustrated by your own heart? Maybe you promised yourself you would be more patient, more loving, or more disciplined, only to fall back into the same sins again. The apostle Paul understood that struggle well. In Romans 7, he describes the painful battle between the desire to obey God and the sinful nature that still fights within believers.
This connects closely to Sunday’s sermon from James 4. James teaches that fights and quarrels begin with sinful desires battling within us. The greatest conflict in our lives is not merely with difficult people or stressful circumstances. The deeper battle is inside our own hearts. We fight the flesh, the world, and the devil every day.
Paul honestly admits that he does the things he hates and struggles to do the things he loves. That honesty is important. Christians are not people who pretend sin no longer exists. Christians are people who bring their struggle into the light and run to Jesus for grace.
The good news of the gospel is that we are not left alone in this battle. Paul cries out, “Who will rescue me?” and immediately points to Jesus Christ. James says, “He gives more grace.” God does not abandon believers when they struggle. Instead, he gives grace to humble people who confess their need for help.
Many times our anger, jealousy, bitterness, and conflict with others reveal deeper desires in our hearts. We want control, comfort, recognition, or pleasure. Instead of turning those desires into sinful actions, God calls us to turn them into prayer. Prayer is part of the fight before the fight. When we humble ourselves before God, confess our weakness, and ask for help, God gives grace to fight sin faithfully.
The Christian life is a daily war against sin, but it is also a daily experience of God’s mercy. Because of Jesus, there is hope even in the middle of the struggle.
COMMA Questions
- Context: How does Romans 7 fit into Paul’s larger teaching about sin, grace, and life in the Spirit in the book of Romans?
- Observation: What repeated words or ideas show the internal struggle taking place inside Paul?
- Meaning: What does Paul mean when he says he does not do the good he wants to do?
- Main Idea: What is this passage teaching us about the ongoing battle with sin in the Christian life?
- Application: When conflict or temptation reveals sinful desires in your heart, how can you respond with humility and prayer instead of anger or self-reliance?
Prayer
Lord, I confess that there is still a battle with sin inside my heart. Forgive me for the times I give in to selfish desires and pride. Thank you that Jesus gives more grace to sinners like me. Teach me to fight temptation through prayer, humility, and dependence on you. Amen.
Devotional 2: Friendship With the World
1 John 2:15–17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Devotional Thought
The world makes many promises. It promises happiness through money, success, pleasure, popularity, beauty, comfort, and power. Every day we are told that satisfaction can be found in getting more, owning more, experiencing more, or becoming more important than others. But the Bible warns us that the world system is opposed to God.
In 1 John 2, believers are commanded not to love the world or the things in the world. This does not mean Christians should hate creation or avoid all enjoyment. God created many good gifts for us to enjoy with thanksgiving. Instead, John is warning us about a sinful world system that encourages people to live without God. It teaches us to worship ourselves, follow our desires, and seek identity apart from the Lord.
James 4 uses even stronger language. James says friendship with the world is spiritual adultery. That means we are acting like unfaithful spouses when we claim to love God while also loving the sinful values of the world. The world tells us to exalt ourselves, but God calls us to humble ourselves. The world says to follow your heart no matter what, but God calls us to repent and submit to him.
This battle is happening every day. The world constantly shapes our thinking through entertainment, advertising, social media, politics, and culture. Slowly, we can begin to value the same things the world values. We may become more concerned with comfort than holiness, more interested in approval than obedience, and more focused on pleasure than worship.
But James gives us hope with these words: “He gives more grace.” God welcomes humble sinners who turn away from the world and come back to him. Repentance is not punishment. Repentance is returning to the loving Father who gives grace freely through Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself resisted the temptations of the world. He refused Satan’s offers of earthly glory and chose obedience to the Father instead. Because of his victory, believers can fight against worldliness with confidence and hope.
COMMA Questions
Prayer
Father, forgive me for loving the world more than I should. Help me to turn away from sinful desires and find my joy in you. Thank you for giving more grace through Jesus. Teach me to walk humbly and faithfully in a world that pulls my heart away from you. Amen.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Devotional Thought
The world makes many promises. It promises happiness through money, success, pleasure, popularity, beauty, comfort, and power. Every day we are told that satisfaction can be found in getting more, owning more, experiencing more, or becoming more important than others. But the Bible warns us that the world system is opposed to God.
In 1 John 2, believers are commanded not to love the world or the things in the world. This does not mean Christians should hate creation or avoid all enjoyment. God created many good gifts for us to enjoy with thanksgiving. Instead, John is warning us about a sinful world system that encourages people to live without God. It teaches us to worship ourselves, follow our desires, and seek identity apart from the Lord.
James 4 uses even stronger language. James says friendship with the world is spiritual adultery. That means we are acting like unfaithful spouses when we claim to love God while also loving the sinful values of the world. The world tells us to exalt ourselves, but God calls us to humble ourselves. The world says to follow your heart no matter what, but God calls us to repent and submit to him.
This battle is happening every day. The world constantly shapes our thinking through entertainment, advertising, social media, politics, and culture. Slowly, we can begin to value the same things the world values. We may become more concerned with comfort than holiness, more interested in approval than obedience, and more focused on pleasure than worship.
But James gives us hope with these words: “He gives more grace.” God welcomes humble sinners who turn away from the world and come back to him. Repentance is not punishment. Repentance is returning to the loving Father who gives grace freely through Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself resisted the temptations of the world. He refused Satan’s offers of earthly glory and chose obedience to the Father instead. Because of his victory, believers can fight against worldliness with confidence and hope.
COMMA Questions
- Context: How does 1 John warn believers about false loves and false teaching throughout the letter?
- Observation: What three sinful desires does John identify in this passage?
- Meaning: What does it mean to “love the world” in a sinful way?
- Main Idea: Why is devotion to God incompatible with loving the sinful values of the world?
- Application: What influences in your daily life tempt you to value comfort, success, or approval more than faithfulness to God?
Prayer
Father, forgive me for loving the world more than I should. Help me to turn away from sinful desires and find my joy in you. Thank you for giving more grace through Jesus. Teach me to walk humbly and faithfully in a world that pulls my heart away from you. Amen.
Devotional 3: Humble Yourself Before the Lord
Luke 18:9–14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Devotional Thought
In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, two men come to the temple to pray. One man is proud and confident in himself. The other is broken over his sin. The Pharisee thanks God that he is “better” than other people. He lists his religious accomplishments and compares himself to sinners around him. But the tax collector stands far away, unable even to lift his eyes to heaven. He simply cries out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Jesus says the humble tax collector went home justified before God.
This story perfectly illustrates the message of James 4. James says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Pride is one of the greatest dangers in the Christian life because it blinds us to our need for grace. Proud people are quick to criticize others while excusing themselves. Proud people defend their sin instead of confessing it. Proud people often think the biggest problem is everyone else.
But humble people know they need mercy. They grieve over sin. They confess weakness. They draw near to God because they know they cannot save themselves.
James even tells believers to mourn and weep over sin. That sounds strange in a world that laughs at sin and treats evil casually. But true repentance is not fake sadness. It is a sincere recognition that our sin offends a holy God and damages our relationship with others.
The good news is that humility leads to grace. God does not reject broken sinners who come to him honestly. Jesus came to save proud, selfish, angry, worldly people like us. At the cross, Jesus humbled himself completely, taking the punishment for our sin so that we could receive mercy instead of judgment.
The Christian life begins with humility, and it continues with humility. Every day we come before God saying, “Lord, have mercy on me.” And every day God answers with more grace.
COMMA Questions
Prayer
Lord, keep me from pride and self-righteousness. Help me to see my sin clearly and to run to you for mercy. Thank you that Jesus humbled himself to save sinners like me. Teach me to walk humbly before you and to depend on your grace every day. Amen.
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Devotional Thought
In Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, two men come to the temple to pray. One man is proud and confident in himself. The other is broken over his sin. The Pharisee thanks God that he is “better” than other people. He lists his religious accomplishments and compares himself to sinners around him. But the tax collector stands far away, unable even to lift his eyes to heaven. He simply cries out, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
Jesus says the humble tax collector went home justified before God.
This story perfectly illustrates the message of James 4. James says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Pride is one of the greatest dangers in the Christian life because it blinds us to our need for grace. Proud people are quick to criticize others while excusing themselves. Proud people defend their sin instead of confessing it. Proud people often think the biggest problem is everyone else.
But humble people know they need mercy. They grieve over sin. They confess weakness. They draw near to God because they know they cannot save themselves.
James even tells believers to mourn and weep over sin. That sounds strange in a world that laughs at sin and treats evil casually. But true repentance is not fake sadness. It is a sincere recognition that our sin offends a holy God and damages our relationship with others.
The good news is that humility leads to grace. God does not reject broken sinners who come to him honestly. Jesus came to save proud, selfish, angry, worldly people like us. At the cross, Jesus humbled himself completely, taking the punishment for our sin so that we could receive mercy instead of judgment.
The Christian life begins with humility, and it continues with humility. Every day we come before God saying, “Lord, have mercy on me.” And every day God answers with more grace.
COMMA Questions
- Context: Why does Jesus tell this parable to people who were confident in their own righteousness?
- Observation: What differences do you notice between the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector?
- Meaning: What does it mean that the tax collector went home “justified” before God?
- Main Idea: Why does God give grace to humble sinners instead of proud religious people?
- Application: In what ways are you tempted to compare yourself to others instead of honestly confessing your own need for grace?
Prayer
Lord, keep me from pride and self-righteousness. Help me to see my sin clearly and to run to you for mercy. Thank you that Jesus humbled himself to save sinners like me. Teach me to walk humbly before you and to depend on your grace every day. Amen.
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