Scripture
Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
Observation
Even people who don’t know about God should see from the creation that God is real and powerful. There is no excuse for not knowing God in some way.
Because people refuse to worship the God who is there, their minds become dark and confused. They start to worship idols.
Because they worship created things rather than the creator, God has abandoned them to their shameful desires. Homosexuality is a case in point, but it applies to every form of wickedness.
Application
Wickedness abounds in this world because people refuse to acknowledge God. God lets them have their way, and so they continue to bring judgement on themselves.
Paul mentions homosexuality, but also a lot of other sins. Sexual sins get a pass in our culture, including among some christians. The reality is that God is our creator and has the right to set the boundaries for the life style which people should follow, including how we act on our sexual desires.
If I say that I will let my sexual desires overrule what God says, then I am making an idol of my body and that of the person I lust after.
We cannot allow our sexual desires to rule our lives at the expense of our relationship with God. This applies equally to other sinful desires such as gluttony, anger and greed.
To be a follower of Jesus means that I must be holy- set apart for God. This means a constant process of allowing the Holy Spirit to cleanse every unclean thought and every unholy action from my life.
Prayer
Lord I acknowledge that you are the one who sets the standards by which I should live. You are the one who determines how I should live. Help me to worship you alone, and not to make idols of the things I want. Amen.
