2008-06-18 12:04:00
“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” (Romans 1:28).
I took the above photo at our home Bible Study last week [To see photo, Click here for more daily encouragement.]. I stood up and took the photo while my fellow brothers and sisters were unaware and I am blessed by observing their attention to the Scriptures.
It’s a scene that still takes place regularly all over the world. It may be in a local church as the pastor stands behind the sacred pulpit and faithfully provides exposition of God’s Word while the people listen with attentive hearts and minds. It may be in a home or small group Bible study such as ours. It may be within the family devotions or it may be in your own individual Bible study that you give full attention to God’s Holy Word.
Next week we anticipate visiting with Bill and Lucy Mosebarger and their family in St. Marys, Pennsylvania. They were the last couple I married as the pastor in their church in December 1992. Early in their marriage they established a custom of family Bible reading and devotions. I recently asked Bill if they still maintained this spiritual discipline and was heartened when he replied, “Yes.” He and Lucy are making a diligent effort to see that their family receives and retains the knowledge of God.
Today’s text is a sobering verse from a powerful book. Of course the whole Bible is powerful but Romans provides a particular depth in understanding the human condition and scope of redemption. In seeking to understand and discern the current world situation and the immense falling away from godly standards I have been doing a lot of pondering from this verse. It explains a lot.
There are those who diligently seek and find it immensely worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God. They study the Scriptures and seek to live by them. They realize the supreme call to the simple Proverb that states “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Retaining the knowledge of God is a lifelong pursuit.
But many, really most, have chosen to walk the heavily trampled “broad path” and do not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God. The substitutes for the knowledge of God abound materially, philosophically, educationally, and in the spiritual realm as well. These substitutes are billed as “the real thing” and any other outlook is ridiculed or viewed as “behind the times.”
But there is a grave consequence in failing to retain the knowledge of God. “He gave them over to a depraved mind.” A depraved mind affects one’s ability to make right judgments, a mind so clouded by sin that it is no longer able to make reliable moral judgments. At this stage man has lost the desire and the ability to think clearly. He has lost his right mind and doesn’t even know it. The result is a world that has left God out of the picture entirely. It is a society with all restraints removed; a culture devoid of all sense of right and wrong, where every man chooses what is “right in his own eyes.”
A depraved mind leads to depraved actions, “to do what ought not to be done.” In so many areas we see a shrugging off of God’s laws and mankind doing what ought not to be done. Unless there is a massive return to God’s ways (revival) this will only worsen.
We call on the faithful remnant to earnestly seek the Lord. Let us be diligent in our retaining of the knowledge of God! May our godly knowledge be the filter through which all other information is approved or reproved.
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily Prayer: Father, we want to be a people whose hearts and minds are One with Yours. Through our diligent study and application of Your Living Word our thoughts and attitudes are formed. Keep us faithful to the Truth of Your knowledge. We stand in firm opposition to the world’s substitutes; the acceptance and celebration of what You describe as sin. The world may dress it up, even make it appealing, and cover up the disastrous results it brings on the individual, his or her family and society at large. The world is not our authority, but Your Word is! Help us to read, retain and regard Your knowledge as our pattern for life. Amen.
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