Thursday, November 14, 2019
But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 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. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. Romans 1:18-25
Favorite sayings become favorites
because they open a whole new world of understanding and resonate with truth
deep within. Here’s one of mine:
Don’t let
the good become
the enemy of the best.[i]
The deep truth of this saying is that even
good things, family, friends, opportunities, and material blessings, can become
obstacles to our spiritual growth.
Whatever good things God has placed in our hands are never to become
more important than the God who gives them.
This was the mistake Paul was holding up to the Roman believers.
There are many areas of life that can become
enemies to spiritual health, and sorting-out the wheat and chaff are part of
discipleship for the believer.
For instance:
·
Food is good
(trust me on this!), but living to eat instead of eating to live is NOT.
·
Money is useful
in many ways; if getting more of it becomes your focus in life it is an enemy!
·
Sex is a
God-given blessing and part of the way God has given for our enjoyment and
participation in His creative ways, but when it becomes our obsession it can lead
to perversion and distort everything good and holy.
·
Friendships are needful, as are the bonds of Family, but these
must stand behind allegiance to Almighty God.
·
Work is
necessary, and God-ordained that we should be productive. But when work crowds-out everything, even
excluding time for worship, we have let our “work ethic” become our God.
Therein is the sticking point – worshiping
the gifts, rather than the Giver of those gifts. In so doing we have not only allowed
the good things of God to become enemy to the best
God wants for us, we have allowed ourselves, good creations of God,
to become enemy of God.
Wherever your activities take you on this day, make sure to be aware who
or what is ordering those feet of yours…the pathway you take always leads
somewhere. Destinations are achieved one
step at a time…for good or best…that is our choice!
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