Thought for May 18:

 History:

• 1642: Montreal founded
• 1652: Rhode Island enacts first law declaring slavery illegal
• 1804: Napoleon named Emperor of France
• 1863: Siege of Vicksburg begins
• 1896: Supreme Court decides Plessy v. Ferguson--Separate but equal
• 1917: Congress passes Selective Service Act--compulsory enlistment
• 1920: Man O'War wins the Preakness
• 1927: Slide Lake collapses--just outside Jackson Hole. Beautiful drive and lake.
• 1927: Grauman's Chinese Theater opens in Hollywood
• 1933: TVA Act signed by FDR
• 1953: Jacqueline Cochran is first woman to break the sound barrier
• 1965: Ray Dolby founds Dolby Laboratories
• 1974: "The Streak" by Ray Stevens hits #1
• 1980: Mt. St. Helens erupts
• 1995: "Braveheart" premiers
• Born: Omar Khayyam, Bertrand Russell, Frank Capra ["It's a Wonderful Life"], Perry Como, Margot Fonteyn [ballet], John Paul II, Jack Whitaker, Pernell Roberts ["Bonanza"], Brooks Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Joe Bonsall [Oak Ridge Boys], Jari Kurri, Yannick Noah, Tina Fey, Vince Young, 
• Died: Gustav Mahler, Ernie Davis, Mary McLeod Bethune [Bethune-Cookman College], Jeannette Rankin [1st woman elected to Congress], Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Grodin, 

Thought:

Reading a passage I have marked in Romans 1:22-27 this morning.  Verse 22 is such a powerful verse--"Professing to be wise." Paul has just reminded us that the evidence of God and for God is visible throughout His creation. [1:19-20] Rather than acknowledge God and worship Him, we engaged in futile speculations [1:21]. Think about all those today who view the order and arrangement of nature and the universe, yet they spend their time speculating about how the worlds came into existence. Then I turn to myself, I look at situations and circumstances in the world and rather than give God glory and turn to Him for wisdom, I profess to be wise and strive to solve the problems in my own wisdom and my own strength.  Perhaps you have been presented with a situation and your first reaction is "I've got this," "I can figure this out," "I can solve this." Then you discover you can't--I professed to be wise, but became a fool. 

Now notice what those professing to be wise, but actually being fools did, they made terrible trades/exchanges:

• Exchanged the glory of an incorruptible God for an image of corruptible man, birds, animals, things. [1:23] The picture is of idol worship, things made with human hands. Today, I must ask, have I exchanged my worship of the living and reigning God to worship things, wealth, possessions, career, fame, power, position? Have I listened to people say how smart I am or how wise I am and started believing my own stuff instead of the living Word. Am I trusting my own wisdom and not His.
• Exchanged the truth for a lie [1:25]Wow! Every day we see Satan and his world put lies before us--this will make you happy; this will give you security; this will give you peace. All lies--offering temporary, not eternal. Sounds like the temptations of Jesus--Satan promises to give that which he cannot deliver in exchange for our souls, hearts, minds. 
• Exchanged the natural function for the unnatural. [1:26] Here they are talking about sexual matters, but the truth has wider application. God teaches us the Right way, the natural way to live--and Satan offers a shift, a minor change, a minor deviation. And before we know it, the minor deviation has become a wide gap. A simple example--it is more important for your children to play soccer, baseball, etc., than to be in church regularly. They really enjoy it; they are good at it; others are doing it; they might get a scholarship. And then we wonder why teens and college students don't attend church.--We trained them not to.  

Today, don't profess to be wise-- it will lead to foolishness. Go to the source of all wisdom. Don't exchange your relationship with Him for corruptible things. There is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof is destruction.

Blessings

Larry

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