Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Romans 1:28-32
Lord of all, our world seems so messed up, beyond redemption. But we thank You that nothing, no one is beyond your saving grace. Good CAN - and WILL - overcome evil. Help us to shine Your light in this ever-deepening darkness. Give us your heart for all of Your creation. Thank you for inviting us to participate in Your plan of redemption. Amen.
Friday, July 17, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Hope
They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Romans 1:29-31
Sounds about right, doesn't it? For something written hundreds of years ago, it's a pretty apt description of the world as we know it, too. People are always saying how things just seem to be getting worse and worse, but it appears that evil was pretty prevalent back in Paul's day, as well. "They invent ways of doing evil" - that phrase seems so apropos for our current situation; just when you think things can't get any worse, someone figures out a way to take evil to the next level.
It seems hopeless sometimes - that no amount of good could ever overcome so much evil. I don't know why bad things happen to good people or why it seems that evil is allowed to run rampant and unchecked. And that's ok. (I used to think that I had to have all the answers, that somehow God needed defending. Pedantic would have been a good word to describe me. I know I still have a tendency to slip into that occasionally...sorry :) )
But I do know my Father. He's the God of hope, and I can trust Him. The truth of the matter is that we never have to be without hope. I peeked ahead to the end of the book and found this gem:
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
Sounds about right, doesn't it? For something written hundreds of years ago, it's a pretty apt description of the world as we know it, too. People are always saying how things just seem to be getting worse and worse, but it appears that evil was pretty prevalent back in Paul's day, as well. "They invent ways of doing evil" - that phrase seems so apropos for our current situation; just when you think things can't get any worse, someone figures out a way to take evil to the next level.
It seems hopeless sometimes - that no amount of good could ever overcome so much evil. I don't know why bad things happen to good people or why it seems that evil is allowed to run rampant and unchecked. And that's ok. (I used to think that I had to have all the answers, that somehow God needed defending. Pedantic would have been a good word to describe me. I know I still have a tendency to slip into that occasionally...sorry :) )
But I do know my Father. He's the God of hope, and I can trust Him. The truth of the matter is that we never have to be without hope. I peeked ahead to the end of the book and found this gem:
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Truth and Lies
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
Romans 1:24-27
There's a lot that could be said about this passage. A lot. But it's not the results that I want to address today; it's the cause. Not just of this particular issue, but all sin. "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served created things rather than the Creator..." (v. 25)
When we exchange the truth of God for lies, everything gets messed up. One major element of my own journey to freedom the past few years has been identifying lies I'd come to believe and then deliberately replacing them with the truth. For example, for most of my life I believed I was worthless and undeserving of love. Shame coloured my whole world, but it was so insidious that I wasn't even aware of it - it was my normal. When God's truth finally broke in, and I started to believe it, everything changed. (You can read the whole amazing story here.)
God of all truth, please open our eyes to the lies that have become a part of who we are. Guide us in your truth and teach us your ways. Thank you for the freedom that comes when your truth sets us free! Amen.
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