Series: Called
Message: Grapes of Wrath
Preacher: Japhet De Oliveira
Reflection: Nathan Brown
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Purpose: Kyle Smith
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Romans 1:18-32 in the English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: “So God abandoned them . . .” (see Romans 1:24, 28): to those of us who cling to the “I will be with you always” kind of statements of assurance, this seems a jarring conclusion. But perhaps this is the best way of understanding what has been described as the “wrath of God”—not that God seeks to punish but that this comes as a consequence of the freedom that God gives for us to choose Him or not.
In The Great Divorce, C S Lewis explained it like this: “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. Those who knock it is opened.” In short, we ultimately receive what we choose—and we receive the consequences that come with those choices.
As evidenced by his conclusion in The Last Battle, Lewis himself struggled to accept the traditional belief in hell. Instead, he understood the consequences of choosing to reject God’s will would be ultimate separation from God, which might result in some initial suffering but inevitably would lead to annihilation.
The relationship between God and humanity that was broken in and since the Bible’s story of the fall will be either restored or irreparably destroyed. The catalyst for which way this relationship goes is our free choice.
So what role does God play in this? He offers the invitation for the better choice, for “his eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20), for as long as it is possible—for each of us individually and as a planet. He offers common grace and blessing, “giv[ing] his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and . . . send[ing] rain on the just and the unjust alike” (Matthew 5:45, NLT).
Abandonment by God is as devastating as it sounds—both for us and a lovingly reluctant God—but it is another way of talking about God’s forbearance in allowing us to make bad decisions. And even in this there is remarkable grace.
Recalibrate: Why is a punishing and vindictive God seemingly so attractive to some faith traditions?
Respond: Pray for the choices we make each day that have consequences for good or evil.
Research: Check out The Great Divorce by C S Lewis and consider the many questions it raises.
Remember: They exchanged the truth about god for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the creator- who is forever praised amen. (Romans 1:25 NIV).
Nathan Brown is a writer and editor at Signs Publishing in Warburton, Victoria, Australia. He has written numerous books; his most recent is Engage: Faith that Matters.
Play a game of "Yes, let's." As you go about doing things today, ask your child if they would like to join in. For example, "How about we go do the shopping?" and respond with your child "Yes, let's!" (answer for them if they can't speak). Yes, let's read a story. Yes, let's pray about our day. Yes, let's sing song of joy. Yes, let's share with our friends. Yes, let's be thankful. Yes, let's take selfies together. Yes, even when it seems the world is saying no, let's say yes to all the good God has planned.
What would be the opposite of the words that you wrote down for yesterday's Daily Walk? Write those words with the heading HATE and put them on the other end of the piece of string. This is who God is not. (Part 3 of 5)
Verse 22 speaks about idols. I remember being on a mission trip and seeing actual idols. I was on G Plot, one of the Sundarban Islands in India. I was in shock seeing people actually bow down and worship something made by hands. It never crossed my mind though that I do the same thing. My phone, TV, and clothes are all things I love. These things aren’t bad in themselves, that's not what I'm getting at. But sometimes I spend a lot of time with these things. What are some “idols” in your life? How can you be intentional about realizing when something is becoming an “idol?