The Gospel in real life

I've been thinking about this a lot recently. My Tuesday night Bible studies have tried to focus on the ability to share the Gospel. It has taken a different angle in my own mind. As I sit here preparing another lesson, I'm forced to look inward:

Do I practice what I preach?

I cringe sometimes as I read the IMMENSE responsibility that God has put on teachers of the Word. I have always been very careful to preach and teach from a human standpoint. That is I am very careful to state things like "I struggle with this, but God wants us to be that." While I believe I am right in doing this, am I right in presenting my struggles as if they are perfectly acceptable parts of life? Paul states this question very clearly in his letters to the Romans: Shall we sin all the more so Grace may increase? May it Never be! He responds. The original language May "Ganoita" (sp?) which literally means may the OPPOSITE be true. Paul is stating that a follower of Christ strives to sin less! And THAT is the power of the cross, not that Grace has the power to cover an unlimited number of sin (which it does) but the transformation within us that creates a desire to limit that sin. That's grace.

So how does the Gospel continue to work in our lives on a daily basis? Well, its conviction like what I'm feeling right now. As a deacon, preacher of the Word, all around "good guy" I can sit here and state I AM NOT WHAT YOU THINK I AM. I am not Mr. Super Christian. I am not anything beyond what grace has allowed me to become. You think I'm good? Step into my mind sometime and tell me what you find. Step into my heart, and find the source of all that is good within me: The Spirit of God transforming me. I love the Gospel. I swear it keeps me going every day because without it, I AM SO SCREWED!! That's the Gospel I want to preach, not the pretty flower-covered Gospel of Christian superiority that I learned growing up. We are NOT better than anyone else, we just have a God who is better than ANYTHING else.