18 God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodly behavior and the injustice of human beings who silence the truth with injustice. 19 This is because what is known about God should be plain to them because God made it plain to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse. 21 Although they knew God, they didn’t honor God as God or thank him. Instead, their reasoning became pointless, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
28 Since they didn’t think it was worthwhile to acknowledge God, God abandoned them to a defective mind to do inappropriate things. 29 So they were filled with all injustice, wicked behavior, greed, and evil behavior. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, deception, and malice. They are gossips, 30 they slander people, and they hate God. They are rude and proud, and they brag. They invent ways to be evil, and they are disobedient to their parents. 31 They are without understanding, disloyal, without affection, and without mercy. 32 Though they know God’s decision that those who persist in such practices deserve death, they not only keep doing these things but also approve others who practice them.
Reflection
If you did not see or hear Pastor Joe’s message this past Sunday the 24th , I hope that you will be able to find time as the message topic, The Power of Words, has real meaning for us today. The message starts by reminding us of how much a child’s life trajectory can be affected by the words that they hear. The wrong words can affect a child for years if not a lifetime. Raising children in an environment that is positive and supportive can make such a great difference.
Delving into the following in any depth is beyond the scope of this reflection. However, I think it is helpful to note that young people living in an environment that values Godly living and relationship has been shown to lower levels of anxiety and give greater positivity about life; a positive note in today’s world.
Laura and I were very pleasantly surprised to see our niece Jenn post on Facebook their church service for the 24th. A family affair for sure. Their son Theo, a high school senior, read scripture, Jenn sang a solo hymn, and most importantly for this writing Hannah, going into her second year at Boston University, researched, wrote, and delivered the message which was incredibly impressive.
Seeing our niece’s family in this setting reminded me of Pastor Joe encouraging young summer interns in our church. It also reminded us of just how meaningful positive environment and values are for all of us.
The link to the service is below and if you would like to just see Hannah’s core message it is 40 – 45 minutes into the video.
(504) “Before You Bloom” Live Stream – YouTube
by Clarence Beverage
For Pondering and Prayer
Our scripture, from the book of Romans, is believed to be written by Paul in AD 55 – 59. It clearly describes a time when there were people who believed in and worshipped God, and who lived Godly lives, and people who lived lives that were as described in verses 29 – 32, quite terrible.
In the last 2,000 plus years, we have seen the pendulum swing toward times of greater goodness and times where evil appeared to have an upper hand. Right now, we are moving into the latter.
The title of this devotion, “Why This Matters,” is serious. If we really care about people, and want to show that we believe in Christian values, the time is now to choose what we can do to help ourselves and others.
At times like this do you feel empowered by seeing what is happening and want to do things that help turn the tide, move the pendulum toward the positive?
Do your faith, and your have prayers, give you strength?
Are you comforted to know that any simple thing, that makes a difference, does matter?
Are you able to see people for who they are, not by labels, but by their words and their actions?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, through your Spirit, help us to focus, at this difficult time in our lives, on Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. We ask that you raise us up to be strong in prayer and to wisely use our time so that we can be light and do good in this world. In your name we pray, Amen.
