Edmund and Alexis studied for a Bible test last night and two of the terms they needed to know were grace and mercy. Grace is underserved kindness, getting what we don’t deserve. Mercy is the withholding of judgment, not getting what we do deserve. God extends both grace and mercy to us on a regular basis. Each new day is an undeserved gift. Because of sin in the world and in each of our lives, we all deserve immediate physical and spiritual death.
Last week we were challenged to glorify God instead of exchanging it for glorifying mortal things. As Paul continues in Romans chapter 1, he explains what happens when someone chooses to glorify mortal things versus our gracious and merciful God.
Romans 1:24-27 “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 about 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 sexual 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 shameful acts with other men,
and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”
When we don’t
glorify God for who He is, then we exchange the truth about God for lies. It’s
a downward spiral that can eventually lead to God removing common grace and
allowing full indulgence in sinful desires that result in shameful lusts. In
His grace, God might allow someone to go their own way and hit rock bottom so
they will wake up and realize God’s way is always better.
What might happen if God gave you and me over to our most tempting sin? Who would get hurt? God can help us give over our sins to Him so that we aren’t given over to the sin. As we submit to Him, He can take those desires away and replace the lies with truth. God wants to help us overcome!
Alice
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