Devotional thoughts on Romans 1:18-32

By Thilini Cate

I enjoy working after 10:00 p.m. It offers a dim, calm, and quiet surrounding. But hidden within that tranquility and darkness lies a strong sense of confusion, chaos, and corruption both you and I have undeniably experienced. Light, however, offers that which is complex, gradual, resolute, and meaningful. Our tendency for darkness, perhaps due to comfort, ultimately stems from what we believe to be best—our desires trump clarity that only truth through light brings.

Acknowledge Him

In Romans 1:18 we see that people turned their backs on God. They denied him of the simplest of gratitude, failed to recognize his creation, and ignored his power and divinity. In verse 21 Paul noted that people “knew God” but had not “glorified him as God nor gave thanks.” This was the beginning of their blindness, and ultimate cause of their wickedness. These people, who once knew the truth, became deemed as “God-haters,” “insolent,” and “faithless” (v. 30).

Similarly, when we fail we tend to take matters into our own hands, forgetting that we exist not because of who we are, but because of who he is. In these moments we must retrace our steps to when we stopped seeing God and realign our perspective to acknowledge him for who he is—the Creator, our invincible Savior, and our ever-present Father.

Grace in Wrath

God let go. According to Paul, humanity’s perversion of order and depravity were a direct contrast to God’s beautiful design. Likewise, when our backs are turned on God, we distort the truth of his goodness—the result of which is a warped vision and a wrecked provision.

Interestingly God’s love for his creation extends his grace, which causes him to release the reins. As human beings we can only recognize our destruction through the pit of despair. So in a sense God allows us to see who we are without him—creation without its Creator, a kingdom without a king, a bride without her bridegroom, and a lump of clay without its potter.

Perhaps it’s best that we begin at a simple posture of gratitude—“God, please don’t let go.”

Thilini loves traveling the world with her husband, Chris, and curious son, Isaiah. She writes for Vanderbloemen Search Group while pursuing a Doctor of Educational Leadership at Oral Roberts University.