2023_01_25 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- Genesis 6-9, Romans 5
Sometimes when I read the Bible, the words are soothing and encouraging, like,
“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT)
But there are other times when I read the Bible and the message directly addresses sin, and the need to repent and change, like: “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. 9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” 1 John 1:8–10 (NLT)
It is with humility that we need to approach our readings this week. In Genesis and Romans, we see how human nature, left to its own devices, leads us away from God. In Noah’s day, “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.” (Genesis 6:5) This led to the judgment of the Great Flood. In Romans 1, we see the result of our sinful nature, “As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.” Romans 1:21–22 (NLT) Paul describes some of the foolishness in how sexual practices have been twisted. The moral values that God has given are for our benefit and protection. When we humbly accept our Creator’s guidance and direction, our lives will be significantly better than if we decide that our own views are wiser than His. When it comes to the sexual mores of the Bible, those of us who adopt them are increasingly seen as old-fashioned at best and bigots at worst. The bottom line for those who claim to follow Jesus should be that we listen, learn and adopt what God says. His values, priorities, and purposes should increasingly become ours. If we do this, we will discover the surpassing value and confidence that come from living in a way that pleases God and gains His support. Additionally, others will see His reflection in us. Now that’s worth living for!
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor