Internal Tension

Nº 132 INTERNAL TENSION weekly devotions to refresh your soul by Dr. Dan Bolin - February 9, 2021

“Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony.” John R. W. Stott

Saint Valentine’s Day, February 14th, is rife with irony. This day, set aside to commemorate love and romance, also reminds us of one of the most notorious and violent crimes in US history. In 1929, seven members of Chicago’s Northside Gang were machine gunned to death by rival gang members. The event is known as the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre. The best and worst of human nature are remembered on February 14th. We all live with a “Valentine’s Day” inner tension. We want to love, be gracious, and do our best, but sometimes we think, say, or do the worst. Paul understood this ongoing struggle. He said, “In my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:22-25a) The tension never goes away this side of heaven, but hope always remains. Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Dan Bolin President Refueling in Flight Ministries, Inc