The Normal Christian Life: A Journey Through Romans
Monday, February 13, 2006
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, we know that You are good and that You created a good universe. We know that when You created the first man and woman, You created them in Your goodness and love. Thus, the gift of human sexuality is good in its original state. Even so, God, we confess that we have not used it for good. In our own beloved nation of America, we see Your good gift of sexuality used for shameful purposes. We know that when sin and death entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, the original goodness within us was tarnished, even hidden by sin. We know that as a result our focus is often on the original sin we all inherit by virtue of being human, and forget about that original goodness. I pray today that You will fill me with Your Holy Spirit that the original goodness You placed within me and all people, will respond to You. I pray that I will live fully and faithfully in the name of Jesus today. I pray that every, single time I have the opportunity to make a decision for good, that You will empower me to do so, that I may not live in sin or shame. All these things I pray in the strong name of Jesus our risen Lord. Amen.
God’s Word Today—Romans 1:24-27
24So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen.
26That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved.
Reflecting on God’s Word
Why do you suppose that God lets us have whatever our hearts desire—whether it is to desire Him and His salvation, or all the shameful things of sin? Do you think you would have arranged things differently if you were God in this regard? Why or why not?
A Deeper Exploration of God’s Word
Look at Romans 1:24. What is the ultimate result of our turning away from God in our lives?
What do you learn about God from this verse? What do you learn about humanity?
Understanding God’s Purpose for Us
What does Romans 1:24 tell us about God’s purpose for our lives, and what happens when we decide not to live it?
Applying God’s Word to Our Purpose
Think about areas in your life where you have decided to pursue your own shameful desires rather than God’s will. Take some time right now to confess these to God, to repent (turn away from) of them, and then asking God to give you victory in these areas. Take at least five minutes for this opportunity. God always works in us when we lay our sins before Him and ask for His forgiveness!
Thoughts - Our Hearts' Desires!
Typically, when we hear that someone is going to give us our heart’s desires we think that’s a good thing—a great thing! The reality is, though, in today’s Scripture the Apostle Paul tells us that when our hearts’ desires are to turn away from God, and to follow the shameful desires of our hearts, God will let us have exactly that. God’s love for us is so great that He doesn’t force us into loving Him in return, or obeying His will for our lives. He offers His saving love, through Jesus freely, and then waits for us to say, “Yes,” to the offer. If we don’t say, “Yes,” then he’ll let us go the way of our hearts---our hearts that are filled with sin and the way that leads to death. God’s freedom in our lives is so incredible! Whether we recognize it or not, God’s freedom to choose or reject Him is what makes us human! If we couldn’t choose, then we would be robots rather than human beings. But the reality is from the first two human beings-Adam and Eve—we have made the wrong choices. We would rather be in charge than let God live in us. We would rather rebel against God’s love and grace, which means choosing sin and death, than to live under His control. Most people when asked, “Would you rather have a life of joy, health and freedom, or a life that you control?” would probably answer, “I’ll take the joy, health and freedom---but what’s the catch?” The “catch” is that in order to experience the fullness of life that God offers, we must give God control. It sounds good, but human nature just can’t seem to grasp how much better life is under God’s control than under our own. Romans 1:24-27 shows us what happens when we turn away from God and follow the desires of our own hearts. The way to avoid that and to have the kind of life we’ve always wanted is a simple matter of putting God first---truly first—in our lives. It means giving over our hearts, our minds, our time, EVERYTHING to God in the name of Jesus. When we do that God lives in us. The life of the Holy Spirit in us guides our choices and the desires of our hearts become God’s desires. This doesn’t happen in a moment, but it DOES happen when we truly seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness! As we reflect on how we DON’T want our lives to be this week, let’s remember that the only way out of the sinful lifestyles we all desire naturally, is to have the supernatural and of God on us, so let’s let Him in charge!
This Week’s Memory Verse:
They traded the truth about God for a lie. Romans 1:25a