The Fools Exchange

For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,  and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (Romans 1:20–25)

The passage above has always been for me one of the most heart breaking in the Bible. When I read the amazing true story of God's great love overflowing in creation of the heavens and the earth and his creation of people, not to subjugate and rule over but to set free and rule with -- to walk with him in the garden in coolness of the day. The garden, the people, the nature, all stamped with God’s divine nature and his eternal power. 

And then the story takes a tragic turn. The people who God made, made a fools exchange and traded the worship of the greatest and most loving artist for the worship of the art that he had made – to serve the things created instead of the creator of all things. And it broke God’s heart. 

It still breaks his heart today and every day. This fools exchange is repeated by each of us daily. Each of us, if we are honest, exchanges real worship for the worship of things. In the process we settle for a far lesser good, a far lesser fullness. And it breaks God’s heart, because it was not meant to be that way. You were not meant to be enslaved to things, but to be free to live and love and move. That is God’s plan. That is the life God calls you to. 

• What are the things you are exchanging for God? 
• What are the things that tell you they will provide ultimate fulfillment other than God?
• Have they lived up to their promises? 

God offers much, much more. He gives us the strength to move away from the things that enslave us to the life that sets us free. That’s good news. That’s the Gospel. God won, God fueled. It is the power of salvation to all who believe. 

Peace, hope and love

Doug