RTW November 23
Suppressing Truth Suffocates Our Faith
They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
Romans 1:19
My Takeaways
Something Old
Denying the Obvious/ Suppressing the Truth
- Won’t give thanks
- Won’t worship God, instead worship idols
Effect of Denial
Our minds become dark and confused. (Romans 1:21) Claiming to wise
Result of Denying the Obvious
- God abandons us to our own shameful ways and desires. (Romans 1:24)
- We trade for truth for lies. (Romans 1:25)
- We worship things created by God, rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:24)
We become
Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. (Romans 1:29-31)
Something New
Something to Do
Reveal the obvious; change the world.
My Takeaways: The Power of the Gospel
Something Old: Well today I finished reading Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians and began the book of Romans. I finished some good reading and am VERY excited to tackle the book of Romans. As I read the first part of chapter 16 in 1 Corinthians on money I thought about the importance of planning ahead and giving to my church on a regular basis. Giving my money to my church with each paycheck is an act of worship. I am worshiping God with my finances. Often if I don’t plan to give, then I fail to give. Opportunities to support different ministries come quickly, if I haven’t prepared I can miss my opportunity. God designed ministry to require the support of the body of Christ. I want to always remember to do my part.
Something New: Paul’s writings today in Romans are true and great warnings about the dangers of sin. Verse 21 is a strong warning: “Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. The result was that their minds became dark and confused.” What an accurate description of what sin does to my mind – it makes my mind dark and confused. Things can get so fuzzy and hazy in my mind due to unchecked sin that I can even get to the point of where I don’t realize I am sinning. How sad to live life knowing God, but not worshiping him or even giving him thanks. I want to live my life so that I share the Light of the Gospel of Jesus to others. Another interesting point from today’s readings is that Paul writes about “general” revelation – meaning, God is revealed to all people in all times generally through nature. In addition to general revelation, there is also “specific” revelation – God is specifically revealed to us through his Word and his son Jesus. General revelation is enough that I shouldn’t have an excuse not to believe in God and to continue on in sin, but I continue to sin. I am so thankful to God for sending me the specific revelation – God’s own son Jesus!
Something To Do: Never be ashamed of the Gospel in any way, shape or form. Proclaim the Gospel throughout my life in every way. Know and believe that the Gospel is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.