KEEPING YOUR MIND RIGHT
Romans 1:21 NKJV
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Many consider Romans to be Paul's greatest book. All of the scriptures are inspired by God, so it's hard for me to rank one book above another. Romans may be the most complete presentation of New Testament theology. Romans also contains great practical wisdom for living. If I were stuck on a desert island and could only have one gospel and one epistle, I would opt for John and Romans. Thank God I am not planning on being stuck on a desert island, so I don't have to choose.
In this first chapter, Paul writes about the condition of mankind. And our verse for today is what happened when man turned away from God and worshipped what was created instead of the Creator. It's a good lesson for us to remember. I am all for being a good steward of the resources we have on earth. But we do not exalt the earth above God. We worship God the Creator, not this created planet.
Our verse today shows two things that led to man's thoughts going in the wrong direction. The first was not glorifying God as God. We can become enamored with all the beauty and the natural things that surround us. We can get caught up in people and the glory of man. But all that we can see is temporary. And the most amazing, beautiful, brilliant people will fade and one day die. It's not a happy thought but a realistic one. So we don't give glory to nature or to people. We glorify the God who made man and who made nature. There is a difference between having an appreciation of what people have accomplished and an appreciation of nature, but we don't glorify and worship people or what God has created. We give glory and honor to God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is seen and unseen.
The second misstep was in not being thankful to God. So mankind knew there was a God but did not give Him glory. And mankind was not thankful to God for life and breath and existence. Not being thankful carries an implication that either there is no God or that He has done nothing for us. Not being thankful can often be rooted in pride. Why be grateful to God if we did it all on our own?
So, not glorifying God as God and not being thankful caused the thoughts of man to become futile or worthless. Another word for futile is vain, meaning destitute of real wisdom. So, their thoughts went dark, and those worthless thoughts had an impact on the hearts of men. Dark, worthless thoughts made the heart go dark. There is a serious connection between the thoughts and the heart. We just can't think anything and without our thoughts having an effect on our spiritual life, our inner man.
APPLICATION
The application here is simple and yet very important. Not glorifying God as God. Not giving Him praise and acknowledging that He is the Creator of heaven, earth, and all of mankind does not position us well. Going too long without honoring God and giving Him thanks is a ticket to the dark path. And the dark path is the one we don't want.
But we can simply give God praise and acknowledge His presence in our lives. We can pray and talk to Him every day. Spending hours in prayer is typically not feasible for most, but we can take moments of our day to give praise and talk to our Heavenly Father. If this sounds strange, it's because we have been so impacted by a world that does not glorify God.
And we can give thanks. This, to me, is one of the easiest ways to honor and glorify God. When we say thanks, we are giving Him credit for the good things in our life. We are acknowledging that without Him, we would be in a very bad place with no positive future on the horizon. It is good to give thanks.
As we glorify God and give Him thanks, this will help us keep our minds focused in the right direction. This will help us stay in the light and keep our thoughts and our hearts from stumbling through the dark.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, You are holy and worthy to be praised. Thank You for life and breath and a future with light and grace. I so appreciate You. In You, I live and move and have my being.