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Priscilla: Romans 1:24-28
The Consequences of Rejecting God

24 Because of this, God gave them up to impurity in the lusts of their hearts, their bodies to be dishonored among themselves,

25 who changed the truth of God into the lie, and worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

26 Because of this, God gave them up to dishonorable passions, for even their females changed the natural use to that contrary to nature.

27 And likewise, the males also forsaking the natural use of the female burned in their lust toward one another, males with males working out shamefulness, and receiving back within themselves the reward which was fitting for their error.

28 And even as they did not think fit to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do the things not right,

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, my Beloved Father, today I offer You my reflection on Your Word in Romans 1:24-28 regarding human beings’ rejection of You. I thank You for Your grace.

Dear God, I understand that all people have sinned and fallen short of Your glory, but because of Your love for humanity, You have provided a way of salvation through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ, who is God and took on human form to bear the punishment for our sins in our place. Through Him, we are saved from Your judgment for the sins we have committed. Your nature is loving, holy, and righteous, and that is Your glory. You want people to be saved, to know the truth, to live holy lives, and to do the good works You have prepared for them. Through this, they become instruments of Your justice, bringing glory to Your name. I remember Your teachings, God:

“For the rest, brothers, whatever is true, whatever honorable, whatever is right, whatever pure, whatever lovely, whatever of good report, if of any virtue, and if of any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Dear God, I understand that humans who do not believe in and obey You reject You and do not worship, honor, or thank You, the One who created the universe. Among all the creatures You have created, You have given humans the authority to rule over all things. You provide food to sustain human life, both physical and spiritual. The spiritual food for humans is Your Living Word. Those who reject worshiping You, the One who deserves to be worshiped, instead worship idols and images made by human hands. They always go against Your commandments, so they do not have the wisdom from You. They are spiritually blind, so You have given them over to their own sinful desires, and they have brought shame upon themselves. They have brought shame upon themselves by using their good and beautiful bodies, created in Your image, to bow down to things that are not You. They have brought shame upon themselves by using the bodies You have given them to do evil deeds.

“For My people are foolish. They do not know Me. They are stupid children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but they do not know to do good” (Jeremiah 4:22).

Dear God, I understand that not considering holding onto You means not wanting to worship You, not allowing You to be holy in one’s heart, and not considering following the truth of Your Word. For Your Word is You, and Your Word is elevated above Your name. Those who reject Jesus Christ do not receive the salvation given by God because they believe that “all religions are good and teach people to be kind and do good” without needing to believe in God. They think that as long as they live well and have morals, they are fine. But I know that no one can live well, live morally, and still be a slave to sin. Only one path can save them from the slavery of sin and free them from the consequences of sin to receive eternal life, which is through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Your Word has affirmed that:

“and there is salvation in no other One, for neither is there any other name under Heaven having been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Dear God, humans reject You due to their pride and lack of fear for You, and You allow them to live in sin. I understand that You want them to experience the pain and despair that comes with a life of sin, so that they may turn to Your salvation. Because a life without You as the ruler leads people to commit one sin after another, You have allowed them to engage in shameful sexual acts, such as homosexual relationships, and to abandon the natural sexual relations between a man and a woman that You have established. The intimate relationship between a husband and a wife is what You have granted to humanity. You created both men and women to come together in marriage and be united in Your holy and loving will to bear children and pass on the gift of life, according to Your commandment.

“And God created the man in His own image; in the image of God He created him. He created them male and female. And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the seas, and over birds of the heavens, and over all beasts creeping on the earth” (Genesis 1:27-28).

Dear God, I see homosexuality prevailing everywhere on earth. It is the sin that you abhor the most. Committing the sin of sexual immorality is to disgrace one’s own body and bring shame to You, as the human body bears the image and likeness of God. The human body is supposed to be used as a temple to worship You, to be kept pure and holy, and not to be defiled by sin. Committing sexual immorality goes against the standards of holiness set by God and is the second-worst sin, following disobedience to God. Sexual immorality directly disgraces the image and likeness of God.

“Do you not know that you are a sanctuary of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone corrupts the sanctuary of God, God will bring that one to corruption; for the sanctuary of God is holy, which you are” (I Corinthians 3:16-17).

Dear God, because of those who do not believe in or obey You and have a desire for immoral pleasures of the flesh, You have allowed them to continue to live according to those evil desires. They have even brought shame upon their own bodies through homosexual acts of immorality. They have not used the sexual instincts You have given them according to the holy standards You have set. The disease of AIDS is one of the consequences of the sin of homosexual immorality. Truly, those who commit sexual sins have brought sin into their own bodies and destroyed themselves.

I thank You, dear God, for allowing me to know and accept Your Gospel of Salvation. May You continue to keep me in Your love and grace. I thank the Triune God and pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Priscilla Christian Huynh
03/06/2023