July 2 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

You and I are not to judge those who prefer to live like pigs. They themselves will be the first ones to tell us that their way of living is none of our business.

God is their judge—and ours. God is also the great voice who addresses them in starlight, in dewdrops, and in the depth of their (human!) being. Certainly, they have heard God. But they did not want to listen. Therefore they are "without excuse" (v. 20) when God judges them.

Damnation and salvation are not only future, they are also present— although neither one is fully present. Some people are already walking revelations of God's wrath (v. 18), just as others are already experiencing God's power for salvation (v. 16). The beginnings of both are here and now.

When people suppress the inner voice of which everyone is conscious, the road to hell begins. When they succeed in shutting off the voice of God, they begin to listen eagerly to the voice of their own lusts. Finally they attempt to rewrite God's laws for living: they set their own standards for their own lives. Then the words "God gave them up" are fulfilled before our eyes.

In the year 58, when Paul wrote these words, and in the year when you are reading this page, thousands of people are racing to hell. They began by suppressing the truth God has revealed to all. They follow through by disobeying God's laws that are written in creation itself. When they do what they "like," the Word is fulfilled and God "gives them up." God no longer withholds or restrains them but allows them to have what they wanted all along.

Only the gospel has the power to pull pigs from the mire. It's hard to believe how far God has gone to save filthy sinners. But when Christ hung on the cross, the Word was fulfilled: "God gave him up for us all" (Rom. 8:32).

REFLECTIONS

Do we have an obligation to bring the gospel to people who are "filthy sinners"? Why or why not?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.