Passage
Therefore, in the lusts of their hearts, God handed them
over into the impurity of dishonor in their bodies among them. These people exchanged the truth of God in
for a lie and also worshiped and venerated the creation instead of the one who
created – who is praised into the ages, amen!
Thoughts for Today
First Thought:
God handed over those people who would rather worship things
or ideas than the Creator. As I was
looking at this passage, I realized that the verb in Romans 1:24 is the same
verb that Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 11:23.
The Greek word is “paradidomi” (παραδίδωμι). It is made up of two Greek words: “to give”
and “over/across.” God gave Jesus over
to the world (1 Corinthians 11:23). God
gave the world over to their sinful lusts.
God is omnipotent, but God understands the importance of free will. While He may be disgusted by any sinful
choices that come out of our free will, God allows us to pursue it. He allows us to pursue sinfulness in free
will so that upon seeing our sinful nature we might truly understand ourselves
and turn to Him. God lets us pursue the
lusts of our own hearts so that we might learn to turn to Him in love.
What do you pursue in this life besides God? How might God hand you over to the pursuit of
that sinful behavior? When you realize
what is happening, how can you respond?
Second Thought:
In this passage, Paul talks about how humanity worships and
venerates the false gods in our life.
The Greek word for “venerate” is a neat word and it literally means “to
express in attitude and ritual one’s allegiance to and regard for deity.” Paul is speaking about actions, ritual, or
habit. When our hearts go to something
that is not God, our actions will follow.
As creatures of habit, we will be able to see ourselves acting in ways
that are not consistent with following God.
Our actions – especially our rituals and habits – can be an indicator of
our heart.
Where can you see habits that demonstrate that you are
following God? Where can you see habits
that demonstrate that you are not following God? What do these actions tell you that you are
following?
Third Thought:
Paul ends these verses with the truth that God is to be
praised forever. In the end, all that
will remain is God. This world will pass
away. Everything in this world will come
to an end. But God will remain. God will be forever. He is to be praised forever. Remarkably, He has invited us to be there
with Him forever and ever, too. He is
indeed deserving of our praise!
How do you worship God?
How does it make you feel to know that you are invited to be a part of
His immortality in spite of being part of a very mortal creation?
Passage for Tomorrow: Romans 1:26-27
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