When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 7:5-6) When we were controlled by our old nature... We cannot deny the fact that the 'old man' needed a change that wasn't forthcoming until Christ took over our lives. ...sinful desires were at work within us... While we might have done some 'good things' while the old man was in control, we also made a habit of being just a little too self-focused, selfish on more than one occasion, and likely just a bit too prideful about doing 'good things'. We might even have bragged or called attention to ourselves for being 'good' people. ...and the Law aro...
None of us lives for himself [for his own benefit, but for the Lord], and none of us dies for himself [but for the Lord]. (Romans 14:7) It can be a difficult thing to remember we don't live for ourselves, always seeking ways to benefit ourselves in the present circumstances. This message to us is sandwiched into the instruction to stop judging each other by what we do or don't do, eat or don't eat, criticizing each other over the most trivial stuff. None of us lives for himself - how come we need that reminder? Maybe it is because we find all kinds of ways to put ourselves FIRST in life, neglecting others at times, and even taking our relationship with Jesus for granted. We no longer live for our own benefit. If you haven't already realized it, our 'benefits' come from the closeness of our relationship with Christ and others! Work on those and you might just find your attitude toward others actually changes. You become less critical because you realize just ho...