SERVICES: SATURDAY 6PM | SUNDAY 9AM & 10:45AM. 

We Livestream at www.FaithFellowshipWeb.com/livestream, through the FFC App, and YouTube.

Futility and Foolishness

Words of Faith Final

Futility and Foolishness
Words of Faith 7-12-2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2021
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><<><

Romans 1
    [21] For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. [22] Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools [23] and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

        Paul analyzes with precision the horrid journey of fallen humanity.  It is a journey that is both corporate and personal.  We see the same turns in the road whether we observe the journey in the lives of individuals, communities, churches, or nations.  We see the first five steps today in this text.
      1)  Stop worshiping.  Although they knew God, they did not glorify or give thanks to Him.  In the garden, this happened when they ran away in shame, and it happens in our lives.  It happens as a nation drifts from Godly foundations.  We move away from the knowledge of God we see in the creation of the knowledge of God that Scripture and family have sought to give us. So when a person, a church, or a nation stops worshiping, I always take notice.  It is a profound danger sign.  It is a warning.  It is the beginning of a journey away from God.  Just because a person attends a place of worship does not mean that they worship.   
       2) Thinking becomes futile.  The KJV says they became vain in their imaginations.  They became focused on self.  More precisely, their thoughts became futile or empty or of no value to God.  We often fill our minds with meaningless images, words, and sounds.  We fill the precious minute of our lives with entertainment, diversions, and distractions. Our thoughts, no longer focused on God or empowered by God, become impotent.
       3) Hearts are darkened. Their foolish hearts were darkened.  The dark side of life begins to invade.   There may be a hard cynicism or a cloud of depression, or even the dark practices of the occult.  The affections of our hearts are turned toward dark things.  We become negative and harsh in our words and deeds simply because we do not have the light of God in our lives.
       4) Becoming fools.  Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools.  The most foolish men are those who think themselves to be wise.  Humanity becomes too wise for a god.  Too scientific for a deity.  Too sophisticated to believe in a personal God, or any God at all.  But in their "wisdom" is the greatest foolishness.
       5) Idolatry.  Humanity "exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images."   What a crying shame!  In such a state, humans turn to worship something other than God.  We put our attention, focus, affections, and energy toward an idol that we believe will give us life and meaning.  
       Someone once said that what we think about as we fall asleep and as we awaken in the morning, if it is other than the one true and living God, is our idol.  We exchange the glory of God for images and symbols that draw us but have no power.  
       Our idols may be in the form of intellect, money, technology, fitness, career, appearance, achievement, or material goods. Nations begin to worship themselves or their culture or race.  Humanism arises as the idol of human achievement and bows to the throne of human potential. In this dark and horrible place of self-worship, the most wretched of human thoughts are conceived.  

        Lord, I choose this day to GLORIFY You and to give THANKS to You.  Bring the Light of Your Life into my heart.  I make no claim to be more than a fool for Christ.  I have no wisdom but Your Word and Spirit to guide me.  I will exchange nothing for the glory of God revealed.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

<>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2021
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)        
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
SUBSCRIPTIONS - To receive the Words of Faith devotion five days a week, send an e-mail message addressed to join-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. To stop receiving Words of Faith, send an e-mail message addressed to unsubscribe-words-of-faith@hub.xc.org. The daily devotion and archive are posted at http://www.faithfellowshipweb.com/cgi-bin/devotions/displayMonths.cgi
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -      
The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2021 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.