The Good I Want to Do
by Kelly Parks
I smell that familiar aroma, kind of like a blend of pipe tobacco and clove. Then they ask that question... “Regular or Decaf ‘ma’am?” I know exactly what will happen if I don’t say decaf. I will be wide awake at 2:00 AM, solving the world’s problems...restlessly flopping around all night in my bed (to the displeasure of my husband). And yet time and time again the words, “16-ounce regular with oat milk” come out and I know Paul was right. “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.”
I desire to cause no harm with the  words I choose. But then, my child will say something so totally teenagery, so painfully personal, that I feel the lava rise up inside of me. Instead of being the water to the fire, I’ll release a spray of words like kerosene. These words feel so good coming out; but as they land, I feel immediate regret. "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."
"For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do--this I keep on doing." Romans 7:19
Later Romans 7:24, as if Paul is throwing his hands up in defeat, states - "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?"
Who will rescue me? It’s interesting that this question doesn’t register in my brain when I’ve got all the plates spinning beautifully and I’m making "good choices". I notice my need for rescue when I take the bait from my irritating co-worker, when I give in to that impulse to buy, or if I click and find myself somewhere I shouldn’t be on the internet.
Wondering who will come to my rescue is most relevant when I’m face to face with my failure. What if our awareness of our need for rescue is a beautiful reminder to preach the Gospel, yet again, to our own hearts? And how wonderful is it that when we are asking the question, "Who will rescue me?", Paul has an answer for us?
"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:25a
With great thankfulness, as I agonize over my flesh, I also recognize that Jesus Christ is my deliverer. Jesus Christ is my mighty rescuer. Even though I cannot carry out the good I desire to do every time...there is hope and freedom in a life empowered by the Spirit. And we are invited into this healthy rhythm of confession, repentance, and thankfulness made available to us, no matter how many times we stumble.
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Reflect & Respond
- How can we hold a healthy tension between the reality that, while we wrestle in our flesh, we have access to freedom and hope in the Spirit?
- Which path do you find yourself taking more often: the path of condemnation or the path of thankfulness and hope in Christ, our deliverer?
- Spend some time confessing and repenting of an area where you feel most powerless in the flesh. Thank Jesus for His great rescue and redemption in the midst of brokenness.
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Meet this month's contributor: Kelly Parks
 Kelly currently serves as the Women’s Shepherd for Worship Ministries at Fellowship Fayetteville. She is also a singer/songwriter who is content spending her days strumming a guitar and watching different word possibilities pop up on her thesaurus app. She is married to Aaron Parks and has found great joy living life and serving by his side. They are raising four boys who range in age from 4 all the way up to 15. Kelly is most likely to break something in a Hallmark store and most likely to misunderstand an obvious nonverbal cue. When she gets a free weekend, she is happiest out on a hiking trail, playing a strategy board game, or consuming Thai Food with friends.
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Onward 2021 was recently hosted at Fellowship Fayetteville for women in their 20s and 30s. The Onward event exists to equip women in God’s Word, encourage women through community, and empower them to live out the Great Commission with their gifts and passions in whatever season of life they are currently experiencing. Guest speaker, Sam Barnes, facilitated a conversation about the heart, dreams, desires, and how the world is constantly blaring the message to follow our heart even though God says to follow Him. She defined what God’s Word says about the heart and following your dreams, and ultimately challenged the women to Name & Investigate their dreams, Pray & Surrender them, and Create Boundaries & Cultivate Gratitude.
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 This coming year you'll have options to choose from for Spring Studies at Fellowship Fayetteville! Among them:
- Encountering God: Cultivating Habits of Faith Through the Spiritual Disciplines by Kelly Minter, beginning Feb 1.
- "End Times Prophecy: The Times Yet to Come" by our own Cathi Cody, beginning Jan 18.
Stay tuned for more information through our eNewsletter, website, and mobile app as we get closer to registration opening on December 1. We look forward to growing closer to Christ and to one another through these studies. Hope you’ll join us!
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 Each year Fellowship Fayetteville commits to provide Salvation Army bell ringers at our local Sam's Club near our campus on Hwy 112. Women's Ministries has agreed to fill the 9 one-hour spots for Saturday, December 11, between 10:00 am and 7:00 pm. Grab your family, girlfriends, or women's small group, dress in your favorite fun holiday attire, and join in the fun while serving a great cause!
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Also, we are once again offering the Advent Daily Devotionals written by our staff. Text #devo to 479-308-0410, or visit fellowshipfayetteville.org/adventdevos to subscribe to receive devos delivered directly to your inbox. If you have subscribed in the past using your email address to receive the Advent or Easter devotionals, you will automatically receive them again this year. It is our hope and prayer this Christmas season that you experience the birth of Christ in a new way.
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Are you looking for a way to work out your faith through service to others? Fellowship has multiple service opportunities that we'd love to talk to you about. Click HERE to fill out a Serve Form, share your areas of interest, and tell us a little bit about your giftings and experience. A staff member will follow up with you to go over available options for serving.
If you are specifically interested in serving through a Fayetteville Women's Ministry group, shoot us an email at fayettevillewomen@fellowshipnwa.org and we'll get you connected to one of our team leaders.
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(All Scripture references are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated)
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