They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

Romans 1:30

Your Encouragement –

I love the Lord. When He brings an indictment against the godlessness and wickedness of men, He shoots it straight. We love snuggling and sweet-mouthing—stroking our egos—even when we need straight talk to avoid catastrophe.  

In Romans chapter one, God indicts the world for our sins and reveals His wrath against its wickedness (Rm. 1:18-32). It is a passage many do not want to read or hear its message. Maybe you can take the time to read it meditatively and see where you stand with Him. Then it may encourage you to continue reading through the entire book to know His love for you in Christ Jesus for your redemption before the dreadful day of the Lord comes. But this morning, I would like to call our attention to the three closing verses of the chapter.

They [the godless and wicked] are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too (Rm. 1:30-32).

Now that is not a newspaper headline that will sell in the world today. But just as a doctor goes through a rigorous and sometimes painful diagnosis before recommending the proper intervention, God reveals the sins of this world and then prescribes the cure for them in the ensuing chapters (2:21-24; 6:23; 10:9-10, 13).  

Sample a few of the charges here: Backstabbing, God-hating, insolence, pride, boastfulness, heartlessness, mercilessness, and more (30). Dissatisfied, the people continue to invent novel ways of sinning. Unbelievable! But that is the perfect picture of our world today. 

God counsels His children today in Proverbs 1:8-19, the sum of which is, “Be wise and do not be like them!” You are different—the redeemed of God through Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9).

Instead, always seek God and His righteous kingdom above all things (Matt. 6:33) by practicing His presence. Keep the consciousness of His Presence with you everywhere and acknowledge His holiness to honor in your thinking and actions. Then it will go well with you. 

God honors those who set their heart after Him to live for His glory. The “all other things” God promises His kingdom seekers is an inexhaustible package to delight your heart, and this, He will faithfully deliver!

Let this encourage you to distance yourself from evil people and remain blessed.