Romans 1:21-22 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, English Standard Version (ESV)
Touring Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia we were reminded of the famous quote from the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal and that we all have rights, among them are "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". What guides that pursuit in our lives is often determined by what voice, what narrative, or should I say whose narrative that we listen to and follow.
In his book, The Good and Beautiful Life, James Bryan Smith writes, "All behavior is based on a narrative. Positively, our cultural narrative can be stated in a number of different ways, "look out for number one" or "you only go around once, so take all you can" or "all is fair in love and war". These are commonly used to justify immoral or unethical behavior."
Some will follow the worlds voices, calling for freedom and the right to do whatever they want with little or no concern for others. That narrative will lead them down the wrong path that eventually, usually sooner than later, that leads to destruction, sadness, sorrow and emptiness. God's Word offers us a better way and calls us to" love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself" and He will end up living more abundantly.
Read the passage below from The Message, let's not be like those that "pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand."
We should desire life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, but realize that true joy can only be found in following Jesus and the narrative that we find in His Word.
Romans 1:21-23The Message (MSG)
Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral
18-23 But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
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