Convinced

DEVOTION
ROMANS
CONVINCED

Rom 15:14-16
14 I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another. 15 I have written you quite boldly on some points, as if to remind you of them again, because of the grace God gave me 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. NIV
Here is something I think I should get a total grip on. I must ask myself this question. Am I full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct others? If I were asked this question by another and forced to answer, I would have to say perhaps in part. I truly am not sure I am full of goodness. Now I surely have some goodness in me, after all I do have Christ. But to say I am full of goodness, that might be a stretch. I also know that I do have some knowledge. I have studied the scriptures for years, I have taken time to examine Hebrew and Greek words to enhance my understanding, but again I am not sure I could claim that I am complete in my knowledge. I have much to learn, far more then I have already learned. Then again knowledge is simply knowledge, putting into practice is the difficult part I struggle with. Trying to apply knowledge to my everyday life and my relationship with those around me is most difficult at best. The last of these three is competent to instruct and again I have to say to myself, although I do that, I instruct others in the Word, I am not confident of my competence. All of these, I am completely, totally, one hundred percent dependent on my Lord and Savior for. He is full of goodness, complete in knowledge and extremely competent to instruct. I have to look and rely in him for all of that. I can only hope I am open to his work in me. I have told others, and I tell myself daily, it is him who does all things for me, in me and through me. This is want I am convinced of.