Got an email from Bro Ong today with his regular updates, and I was struck by the part where we should be praying for people to fall in love with Jesus more and more, rather than the riches and wealth of this world that the prosperity preachers are peddling. That there are a lot of people who seem to want
the blessings more than the Blesser,
the healings more than the Healer,
the deliverances more than the Deliverer,
the intellectual knowledge of the Bible more than the Author of the Bible,
the music about worship more than the One that should be worshipped forevermore.
That struck a chord with me because last week a few of us from church was looking at the book of Romans, and this is what Romans 1:18-25 has to say about sin:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
That though at first read, the passage seems to be directed at non-believers, even those who call themselves Christians can fall into that same trap (highlighted) if we're not careful, and that isa humbling reminder.
What struck all of us in the Bible study last week was also how we sin when we "though we know God, we neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him" we sin. And we ended the time aptly and humbly first by sharing what were the things we had to give thanks and glory to God for in our lives, then by going through a round of prayer for one another.
No wonder Paul said, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6
Creator, not creature
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