Reflecting God – Embrace Holy Living - WordAction - The Foundry Publishing House of Kansas City, Missouri, United States - The Global Church of the Nazarene for Saturday, 6 January 2018 "What Is Your Excuse?" by Susie Shellenberger - Romans 1:18-32Romans 1:18 What is revealed is God’s anger from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who in their wickedness keep suppressing the truth; 19 because what is known about God is plain to them, since God has made it plain to them. 20 For ever since the creation of the universe his invisible qualities — both his eternal power and his divine nature — have been clearly seen, because they can be understood from what he has made. Therefore, they have no excuse; 21 because, although they know who God is, they do not glorify him as God or thank him. On the contrary, they have become futile in their thinking; and their undiscerning hearts have become darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they have become fools! 23 In fact, they have exchanged the glory of the immortal God for mere images, like a mortal human being, or like birds, animals or reptiles!
24 This is why God has given them up to the vileness of their hearts’ lusts, to the shameful misuse of each other’s bodies. 25 They have exchanged the truth of God for falsehood, by worshipping and serving created things, rather than the Creator — praised be he for ever. Amen. 26 This is why God has given them up to degrading passions; so that their women exchange natural sexual relations for unnatural; 27 and likewise the men, giving up natural relations with the opposite sex, burn with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with other men and receiving in their own persons the penalty appropriate to their perversion. 28 In other words, since they have not considered God worth knowing, God has given them up to worthless ways of thinking; so that they do improper things. 29 They are filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and vice; stuffed with jealousy, murder, quarrelling, dishonesty and ill-will; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God; they are insolent, arrogant and boastful; they plan evil schemes; they disobey their parents; 31 they are brainless, faithless, heartless and ruthless. 32 They know well enough God’s righteous decree that people who do such things deserve to die; yet not only do they keep doing them, but they applaud others who do the same.
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I used to be a high school teacher, and I was always amazed at the excuses students would come up with for not having their homework. “My tooth hurt and I couldn’t write.” “Our television was broken, and I have to have my favorite show on while I do homework.” “You said to finish the study questions, but you didn’t say we had to turn them in.”
I’m wondering if God often tires of our spiritual excuses. “I don’t have time to study the Bible.” “If I read the Bible, I won’t have time to read the newspaper, and surely God wants me to be up on current events.” “I don’t need to attend Bible study because I went a few years ago.”
Romans 1 highlights that since the beginning of time, God has clearly made himself known–through nature, through Scripture, through our consciences, in our hearts, and through His prophets. We really have no excuse for not knowing Him, serving Him, and loving Him.
Let’s commit to serving Him with 100 percent, so that when we stand before Him, we won’t need to make any excuses.
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Hymn for Today: "Living for Jesus" by Charles F. Weigle
1. Living for Jesus, oh, what peace!
Rivers of pleasure never cease.
Trials may come, yet I'll not fear.
Living for Jesus, He is near.
Refrain: Help me to serve thee more and more.
Help me to praise Thee o'er and o'er;
Live in Thy presence day by day,
Never to turn from Thee away.
2. Living for Jesus, oh, what rest!
Pleasing my Saviour, I am blest.
Only to live for Him alone.
Doing His will till life is done!
Refrain: Help me to serve thee more and more.
Help me to praise Thee o'er and o'er;
Live in Thy presence day by day,
Never to turn from Thee away.
3. Living for Jesus, ev'rywhere,
All of my burdens He doth bear.
Friends may forsake me; He'll be true.
Trusting in Him, He'll guide me through.
Refrain: Help me to serve thee more and more.
Help me to praise Thee o'er and o'er;
Live in Thy presence day by day,
Never to turn from Thee away.
4. Living for Jesus, till at last
Into His glory I have passed;
There to behold Him on His throne,
Hear from His lips, "My child, well done!"
Refrain: Help me to serve thee more and more.
Help me to praise Thee o'er and o'er;
Live in Thy presence day by day,
Never to turn from Thee away.
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Thought for Today: As people who obey God, do not let yourselves be shaped by the evil desires you used to have when you were still ignorant.(1 Peter 1:14)
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Please pray: That many people in Kazakhstan will come to know Yeshua as their Messiah and receive the fullness of the Ruach HaKodesh.
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