Living in the Gap

In his sermon, Doug Pratt discusses the constant struggle between spiritual aspirations and human fallibility, using the analogy of a 'gap' to describe this. He references the Apostle Paul's words in Romans about the internal struggle between sin and righteousness, relating it to everyday frustrations faced by individuals. Pratt mentions the tendency of people to either give up due to the difficulty of living up to spiritual standards or to lower these standards to attain comfort. He advises against these approaches, instead suggesting a path of confession, accepting God's forgiveness, forgiving oneself, and daily surrender to God's will. He emphasizes the importance of allowing Christ's spirit to work within individuals to overcome the 'gap' and experience spiritual growth, urging the congregation not to abandon their faith or lower their spiritual standards, but to keep striving for spiritual maturity with God's help.   www.venicepres.org