Romans 7:24-25 ESV
[24] Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? [25] Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
https://bible.com/bible/59/rom.7.24-25.ESV
James 4:9-10 ESV
[9] Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.4.9-10.ESV
Wretched: miserable, unhappy, pitiful, deplorable, despicable, and worthless.
Wretched is how Paul describes himself when faced with the sobering truth of his depraved sinful nature. He’s deeply disturbed and distraught because he finds nothing good in himself, that is, in his flesh.
Romans chapter 7 is a discourse into why we do the things we do, knowing they are wrong and sinful, even though we continue to do them, and that our helpless, miserable, deplorable and despicable state has no cure outside of the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who went to the cross to deliver us from these bodies of death.
When we realize and confess the truth of our own depraved sinful nature and our inability to do anything to appease a Holy God, we are led by the Holy Spirit to repent and believe in the Gospel; the good news of our risen Savior.
When we humble ourselves before Holy God, He will exalt us. When we come to him, naked and exposed, he will turn our mourning and misery into dancing and joy.
Do you see your own wretchedness? God sees and knows. He’s waiting for you with open arms. He’ll forgive you and set you free, and put you on a new pathway to righteousness. This isn’t something you can do on your own. God already did, once for all time, when He sent His only begotten Son into the world, to save those who call in His Name!
Living As Light 
Leave a comment