DEVOTIONAL: Romans 1:18-20
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”
Romans 1:18 NKJV
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God is love but He created all things to bring Him glory. When we allow sin into our life, we are unable to experience the fullness God has because sin hinders us. If you were in a marriage you would want ALL of the other person. So to it is with our relationship with God. He wants us all.
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Unrighteousness: Injustice; a violation of the divine law, or of the plain principles of justice and equity; wickedness. unrighteousness may consist of a single unjust act, but more generally, when applied to persons, it denotes an habitual course of wickedness.
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God is the truth. His ways are the same yesterday, today and forever! He has a way. His ways are higher than anything.
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Suppress: To overpower and crush; to subdue; to destroy; as, to suppress a rebellion; to suppress a mutiny or riot; to suppress opposition.
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Wow to read that verse with the definitions puts life into a different more realistic perspective.
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We must not try to overpower or crush, what God has said, the truth of His word and... we can’t. There is a way in which we should live. We are called to a higher standard. To be different a to live a life worthy of the calling God has on our lives. We are not to go against Gods divine law... we must love, we must be one with Christ. We must be so aligned with Him that as He leads we move. Not moving according to flesh. He wants to show us these things by His deep love for us. It is from the kindness of His heart.
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There is so much wickedness in the world. We must repent of our sin and turn. God has a way. It leads to LIFE, LOVE, PEACE and is full of grace. When we abide in Him we will experience these fruits of the Spirit in our life. We must turn from the ways in which we went on our own and acknowledge where we were wrong, ask for forgiveness and turn to Him and His strong gentle arms of love. He delights in you and wants you!
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“since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Romans 1:19-20 NIV
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If we go back to the 10 commandments we know that the first 4 are our hearts position towards God (“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. Thou shalt not make any graven images or likeness of gods. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.") to violate leads to ungodliness. The next part is how we conduct ourselves with others. And when we don’t follow this we are living in unrighteousness. (Taken from Chuck Smith commentary)
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Brothers and sisters we must not simply know the word of God but put it into practice. Allow yourself time with The Lord and for Him to do it in you and through you. Be encouraged that He will!
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It can be easy not to acknowledge the wrong. It can also be easy to not receive His forgiveness and get caught in shame and guilt. We must acknowledge and turn. Yeild to the Lord and allow His strength within you to fight against the passivity of sin and against shame and guilt.
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There is so much evidence around us for Christ. Light, plants, our human bodies. Everything was created to show God and give Him glory! We must humble ourselves at the foot of the Cross knowing that we are His servants. We must submit to His divine authority.
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Questions:
Do you see the Lords hand everyday? Ask The Lord to show you more of His heart today. How do you see the suppressing of truth in unrighteousness around you? Ask the Lord what He wants to teach you.
Be encouraged that The Lord wants all of you, He chose you first and will forever!
