Good morning my “walking with Jesus” friends,
Now, don’t let the fact that today is a ‘Friday the 13th’ shake you up! Our great God, the Creator of the Universe, reigns supreme today over all things, in all places, even including the farthest corners of our universe!
Probably each and all of us know someone who at one time in the past used to be a worshipper of Almighty God, a follower of Jesus Christ and they respected the Bible as God’s truth… but they have turned away and today they are far from God. Maybe it was a slow drift away, maybe a radical disavowing of what they once held dear. WHY and HOW does that happen?
Well my friends, that is not a new problem. In fact Paul addressed it in Romans 1:21 “Although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. ” (Rom. 1:21)
There is a very important pattern here, I wonder if you see it and understand its severity, my friends? Do you see the downward drift begins with futile thinking, even while yet affirming God’s truth and worshipping God? How does it happen? One simple word DOUBT! When a person begins to DOUBT the truthfulness of TRUTH and they allow their mind to consider alternatives to or variations of God’s truth… the drift toward futile thinking begins. And that drift is like a snowball rolling downhill. The PACE of drift and the critical MASS of the drift intensifies quickly.
Paul warned the Ephesian Christians about this. People living in “futile thinking” experience a “darkening in their understanding and separation from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them…” (Eph. 4:17,18) Do you see the crescendo of doubt turns to rejection of truth and growing ignorance in the advance of futile thinking? It’s very much like an aggressive, consuming cancer.
And like a cancer, futile thinking is NOT satisfied with one or two truths rejected, futile thinking breeds a hard heart, and together they turn a person away from God, sometimes rapidly and with intensity! So Paul wrote to the Romans: “their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” (Rom. 1:21) And to the Ephesians, Paul wrote “…the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.” (Eph. 4:18)
Now watch this friends: futile thinking and hardness of heart are ALWAYS linked together, and the decay flows both directions! One can contaminate the other! Futile thinking and hardness of heart fuel each other, more and more in their rejection of God and God’s truth. It’s like a grassfire swept by the wind. Do you see that my friends, as you look at our world? If you’re honest, as you look back over your life, were there times THAT was happening to you, in your doubt and drift away from God? But wait… there’s more bad news!
To the Ephesians Paul wrote: “Having lost all sensitivity, they gave themselves over to sensuality, so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more!” (Eph. 4:19) Do you see this now engages the WILL!! The synergy of Futile THINKING and Hard HEART breeds God rejecting ATTITUDES and finally self-destructive CHOICES! Oh my, pause and ponder that very dangerous, self-destructive path away from God.
To the Romans Paul wrote it this way: “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles.” (Rom. 1:22,23)
Do you see dark thoughts combined with a hard heart produce rebellion against God which results in the willful rejection of God and God’s Truth and FABRICATION of man-made gods and distorted truth?!
Now pause and consider these three questions:
* First... Do you see this implosion, this downward drift away from God, happening all around the world, both in our day and through history as you know it?
* Second... Can you identify the destruction this downward spiral has caused in every society in our world?
* Third... Do you see the work of Satan in this?
Paul knew it would NOT be difficult for the Romans to follow his line of thinking as they looked around their city, and Paul anticipated they would wonder what God’s response is to this global rejection of God and God’s truth? Would God send another global flood to wipe out humanity and start again? Might God instead send global pandemics of suffering and death, or might God simply destroy planet earth?
So the Holy Spirit led Paul to write these words: “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things, rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.” (Rom. 1:24,25)
Do you see God did NOT unleash some horrendous pandemic, nor natural disasters. Rather God simply allowed the downward spiral to reach its logical, self-destructive result! “God gave them over” is such a powerful statement of unrestrained, self-destructive gluttony. And it’s happening all around us, wherever you live today, isn’t it?
On this Friday the 13th, please take some time to think deeply about these verses and use the “lessons learned” notes to help you see what God sees. Then I’ve found a very reflective worship song which acknowledges our drift. And I’ll meet you here tomorrow for more.
Today’s Scripture: Romans 1:21-25; Ephesians 4:17-19.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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