Exchanging the Truth for Lies

So, I ran across this verse today – Romans 1:25

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.Amen.   

WOW!  This made me think of all the lies we are so easily beginning to exchange for truth, and how we often seem to worship created things, instead of our almighty creator.

We have exchanged so many lies for truth – and have paid the consequences.  It makes me think of how easily the church now accepts divorce, how it shies away from going after sexual sin like fornication and adultery, and the whole mess of other sexual sins we are beginning to bend to.  Sadly, we look just like the world.  We excuse so much, we rationalize our sins – from something as “little” as lying on our taxes to something as sad as abortion.  We excuse it and offer a quick apology prayer.  But…do we really repent?

My friend and I were talking the other day, and he began to share a lot of psychology speak – all the “why’s” about our sins…how we do not deal with our “stuff”.  Funny, though, the Bible has very little psychology speak in it.  For the most part, we are told to die to ourselves and to think of ourselves as less.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves”  Philippians 2:3

“Even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Matthew 20:28

When we do this – when we truly put ourselves in the servant position, as opposed to the prideful position, we experience freedom – freedom from making sure “we get ours”, and instead work to give to others.  We find less of a reason to work through our “stuff” and far less reason to rationalize our sin.

The part that really wakes me up and actually scares me (in a reverent way) is what comes after Romans 1:25

Romans 1:26 (a) Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts…

Romans 1:28-32  Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,  slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;  they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.  Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

HE GAVE THEM OVER!

Twice it says that- God GAVE THEM OVER to their sin.  What a terrifying thought!  I worry that as we more and more accept the worldly views and some of the psychology speak, we are slowly being given over to the sin.  

Single Christian Sisters (and Brothers, and those of you who are not single), we must stand firm.  I know it is not easy being single.  I know, as adults, we have needs.  But God says he will give us what we need to resist temptation.

1 Cor. 10:13  No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

We DO NOT want to be GIVEN OVER to our sins…how horrible that would be!  

As single Christian parents, we can make such an impact on the world!  We can remain holy and chaste, we can pursue and love God wildly, we can live a life so different from this world and not worship the created (the beautiful house, the perfect handbag, the expensive clothing, the belief that we HAVE to have sex, the belief that we MUST be monetarily successful, etc.).  We can, instead, worship the created.  We can look so joyful and so different from the world that they will beg us – we mere single parents – what our secret is – and then we can share with them the saving, healing, glorious power of Jesus.