Good morning, friends!

Welcome to the fourth week of writing through Romans. If you want to go back and re-visit earlier posts from this series, just click here.

Last week, we talked about what makes God angry. Today, we’re going to talk about idols, getting what we want, and everyone’s unrighteousness.

Here’s what Paul says in Romans 1:24-32 (ESV):

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Worshiping the Created

“…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…”

What do you really worship and serve? We might say “God,” but our calendars and bank accounts often tell a different story. We rush from work to school to practices to events, filling our days to the brim without pausing to acknowledge the One who gives us these days in the first place. We say we don’t have time for God and yet we somehow manage to spend hours staring at our phones.

We’re constantly tempted to put the created before our Creator. The world tells us to search for “our truth” instead of the Truth, avoiding God’s authority over our lives. The world wants us to rewrite God’s design for sexuality, redefine love so no one has accountability to anyone, and even claim we have the right to choose our gender. We chase money, power, possessions, and the approval of strangers online. But how much do we chase Jesus?

I once heard Francis Chan once ask something like this: If you don’t enjoy spending time with Jesus now, why do you think you’ll enjoy Heaven?

If we spend all our time worshiping and serving things that God created instead of God himself, what’s the point of looking forward to eternity with him?

Life is so short, and we waste too much of it chasing after things that won’t last.

God Lets Us Have What We Want

“…God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity…to dishonorable passions…”

Does this mean God gives up on us? I don’t believe so. I believe there’s room for repentance and redemption as long as we’re breathing. But I also believe that God allows us to go after what we think we want, even when it isn’t him.

And, speaking from personal experience here, going after things we think we want instead of God usually leads to stories ending with the words “rock bottom.” When we trust in ourselves, the day comes when we realize that doesn’t work. We achieve the goal, buy the thing, win the praise, and yet we still feel empty. Sometimes we feel more empty, because now there’s nothing left to chase. It’s like climbing a ladder for years only to find it was leaning against the wrong wall.

St. Augustine wrote, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” God will let us keep chasing fulfillment in other things until we learn that truth firsthand. It’s only when we surrender our lives to him that our restless hearts can finally rest.

We’re All Unrighteous

“…They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness…”

And just in case anyone is thinking this passage only applies to “other people,” it ends with a laundry list of sins that catches us all. Have you ever wanted something that someone else has? Ever gossiped? Ever disobeyed your parents? Then you’re included. I’m included. Every one of us falls under the same verdict: we’re unrighteous and deserve death.

That’s the bad news. The good news is far better. God sent His Son to live the perfect life we could not live and take our unrighteousness upon himself at the cross. He died in our place and then rose from the grave to offer us eternal life that begins the moment we put our trust in him.

The response is simple, but not easy: admit you are a sinner, believe that Jesus alone can save you, and turn to your life over to him.

The Call

Stop worshiping things God created instead of God. Stop chasing after things that will never fulfill you. Lay down the weight of your own unrighteousness and receive the righteousness of Christ.

Your real life begins the moment you say yes to Jesus.

Reflection Question:
If someone looked only at how you spend your time, money, and attention, what would they say you truly worship?

Practice:
Choose one created thing you’ve been putting before God—your phone, a purchase, a habit—and lay it down this week. Replace that time with prayer, Scripture, or worship.

Prayer:
Lord, I confess that I often put the things you created before you. I chase after things that will never satisfy. Forgive me for trading your truth for the lies of the world. Help me desire you above everything and let my heart find its rest in you alone. Amen.

Thanks for reading this week! Please feel free to leave me a comment or share this post with someone. I hope you’ll be back next week as start Romans 2.

Keep pressing on,

— Dave