Kicking and Screaming all the way.....

Recently I ran across this commentary that really stuck out to me. We were reading through Romans and I was reading up on somethings in a new study bible I had. The text was Romans 7:24 "Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?" ESV. The verse is straight forward for the most sense he is wretched and needs to be delivered from his body. If you dig deeper into the original meaning of the text we find something more. So what does it mean to be delivered? As with many words in the Bible this Word comes from a military term/ idea. In the original Greek it gives the idea that someone is pulling a wounded solider out of the battlefield. With that picture in mind I find it comical, strange, and just plain stupid how we react to being delivered. I'm reminded of the classic scene in the movie Forrest Gump, it is when the "Charlie" hits his platoon. There are guns shooting everywhere. Forest begins to brings others to safety. Then he comes upon Leutinet Dan, wounded and calling in a air strike he pleads with Forrest just to leave him there. Forest picks him up and starts to carry him out, on the way Forrest gets hit the both fall. When the dust clears Forrest drags Lt. Dan out by one arm, as Dan is shooting back with all the fight he has. Later in the movie we learn that Lt.Dan's plan is to die on the battlefield. We act just like Lt. Dan far too often. We fuss and complain, for some stupid reason we think we can face sin all on our own (in our own ability). Before we know it we are in a battle and we are surrounded. We finally call on God to help us (Pray, when he has been taking the bullets the whole time) and when he delivers us, we go out kicking and screaming like the temper tantrum of a 3 year old. I know to some the imagery I used might be a bit of a stretch, but to me it makes all kind of since. Sometimes I just want to be Lt. Dan wounded, helpless, running low on ammo, the enemy is gaining, calling in help and upon helping pulling me out, well I just grab stick and rocks....anything I can that won't even phase the enemy. All while live bullets are being fired in my direction. Can you see it now, you are dragged to safety and your savior collapses on the ground, rittled with bullets all of which were intended for you. Dying you see his face and he says: "I love you this much!" Anyway I want to retell it, or relate it, or straight up proclaim it, the end is always the same. Jesus died on a Cross to save sinners in a lost and dying world.