Read Romans 1:21-28 21 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. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

I got a new fax machine the other day for my study. In typical Crawford fashion I said, “This is simple enough. In fact, it looks like a piece of cake. I don’t need to read these detailed directions.” Wrong! It wasn’t as simple as it looked. In fact, quite a while later I was still stumbling around trying to put it together. Then I had a brilliant idea. I told myself, “Crawford, why don’t you go back and reconsider your decision? Read those directions and follow the steps.” When I did, something wonderful happened. As I followed the steps, submitted to the directions, I put the fax together. It was easy once I knew how to do it.

Some of us are frustrated and fumbling through life because we refuse to read and submit to God’s directions. We know that we ought to do. There are very few Christian who can honestly say, “I don’t know the difference between right and wrong.” We all know the difference between what is right and what is wrong. We know what we ought to do or what is missing but for some of us the desire to be in control of our lives and our future has become our master. We do not want to submit.

If you’re in that situation, here’s a warning: We are on dangerous ground when we continue to ignore God’s truth. In fact, we may reach a point where we not only ignore God’s truth but we flat out reject it. If that is the case, then the justice of God says that He will allow us to experience the consequences of our rejection.

The apostle Paul in Romans outlines the consequences of rejection. The expression “God gave them up to” simple means that because they were bent and determined on rejecting God’s truth, He stood out of the way and allowed them to experience the consequences of rejection and disobedience.

God loves and tenderly pursues us, but He is also just. When we reject Him and His truth, we have in effect said, “We prefer the consequences.”
-Crawford W. Loritts-

Responding - Has the desire to be in control of my own life and future replace God in my life?
Following - People are eternally lost because they refuse to respond to the truth.

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