Verse of the Day 8/7

   

Romans 1:22-23 Claiming to be wise, they became fools ²³ and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.  Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

 

Yesterday's verse spoke of God's attributes, His glory, His wisdom in creation being on display in the world around us.  Today's verses follow up on that and show how man has exchanged that glory, that wisdom for other things, largely in the things that they have created.  In pride elevating themselves while disregarding true wisdom of God.

 

Following God's wisdom and  the knowledge of Him come love, hope, faith, trust, forgiveness to name a few.  To see more read of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23.  The wisdom of the world is about self.  It leads to selfishness,  greed, hate, corruption.  This shows in personal lives, broken relationships, shady businesses, and corrupt governments.   Because of this, the world around us is a mess, a pigpen (read from The Message below).

 

Speaking on pride, Edward Payson writes:

Pride consists in an unduly exalted opinion of one's self. It is, therefore . . .
impatient of a rival,
hates a superior, and
cannot endure a master!

In proportion as pride prevails in the heart, it makes us wish . . .
to see no God above us,
to acknowledge no law but our own wills,
to follow no rule but our own inclinations.
Thus pride led Satan to rebel against his Creator--and our first parents to desire to be as gods.

Human pride is behind the tragic exchange mentioned in the verse.

 

Psalm 10:4  The wicked are too proud to seek God,
    They seem to think that God is dead.  New Living Translation (NLT)

 

But God is not dead, He is surely alive, do you believe this?

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

Follow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

 

Romans 1:22-25

The Message (MSG)

Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral

 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.

^24-25 So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!