Devotionals
For 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. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools. --Romans 1:21-22 (NIV)
Today I am wearing my new glasses and everything is so much clearer. However, my eyes have not yet adjusted to this extraordinary new way of seeing the world, and they are rebelling a bit and causing a headache. Instinctively I want to reach for my old glasses because I know my eyes are more accustomed to them. However, I know that unless I force myself to wear the new ones, I will not be able to see clearly and I will remain in a vision impaired state.
All of us at one time or another are spiritually impaired. Despite our exposure to godly relationships, church, or Biblical teachings, we decide that doing things God's way is too inconvenient. We are more comfortable doing things on our own rather than risk the possibility of discomfort in a new state of being. Instinctively we are selfish, refusing to acknowledge the benefit that we stand to gain by surrendering ourselves unto Christ.
The longer we resist God, the longer we suffer needlessly. By turning our hearts away from God we are essentially inviting our earthly, sinful nature to take up more permanent residence there. The well-lit picture we had of who God is begins to fade and we may eventually lose sight of Him completely, thereby allowing ourselves to become engulfed by darkness.
God has revealed himself to us in order that we might believe in Him completely. He has given us His Word to serve as a light to our paths. God the Father has also sent His Son, Jesus, to be the light of the world. Only through a relationship with Him can the darkness of our foolish hearts be edged out. As we thank our Heavenly Father and glorify Him, the Holy Spirit envelopes our hearts and we can see things clearly by the light of wisdom He gives. No longer fools wandering in the world's darkness, our vision is restored and we can walk boldly in the light.
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Well done; an excellent treatment of the Romans 1 passage. I loved the parable of the new glasses; I can relate to that one! You write persuasively with a clear, consistent voice throughout. (I admire authors who can build a logical case in one short page...) A really nice image at the end, where the "Holy Spirit envelops our hearts" so we "see things clearly by the light of the wisdom He gives." Thank you for this!
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