Romans 1:18-25

Romans 1:18-25
English Standard Version (ESV)

  Mark Twain has said that 'it's not the parts of the Bible I don't understand that scare me, it's the parts of the Bible I do understand.'  I think he's probably more honest than most -- we spend a lot of time in debate about certain things in the Bible that are hot topics, but on the whole, we tend to gloss over a lot of the big themes -- about the calls from God for us to live in certain ways, about how we're supposed to live sacrificially, about loving all people, even our enemies, about pursuing God with a single-minded focus and not getting distracted by the things of the world that might dull or harden our hearts.
  What happens is that we immerse ourselves in the world and claim to be wise, but in reality, we are fools.  We exchange glory of immortal God for images that promise much, but cannot deliver.  We hear and understand the commands and directions of God, but then, finding them too difficult, we settle for lower goals.
  Let us endeavor to run with purpose and passion the challenging course God has set before us.  God never promised that it would be easy, but God did promise that it would lead to eternal life, and that is worth the challenge and difficulty of setting aside distraction and living with discipline and focus.