We Become Like What We Worship

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and 

Worshiped and Served created things 

Rather than the Creator

Who is forever praised. Amen.

Romans 1:25 

Scripture Reading Romans 1:18-32

The apostle Paul paints a sobering picture in Romans 1: humanity has not merely wandered off course—we have willfully turned from the Creator to the created. Even though God’s divine nature and eternal power are clearly seen in the beauty, complexity, and order of the world (Romans 1:20), people have suppressed the truth and chosen to bow to idols of their own making: wealth, pleasure, power, fame, and even self.

The result is spiritual decay that leads to moral disintegration. Paul writes, “Although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). A society that forgets God soon forgets how to live rightly. Worship is not optional; it’s essential. If we don’t worship God, we will inevitably worship something else—and we become like what we adore (Psalm 115:4–8).

Idolatry reshapes us in the image of what cannot save. But worshiping the one true God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—restores us. “And we all… are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18). When we behold Christ in worship, we become like Him: loving, pure, truthful, and just.

Eugene Peterson writes, “Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God.” In a time of cultural confusion and disorientation, worship anchors us to eternal truth. It lifts our eyes from the shadows to the light. It reminds us who we are—and more importantly, whose we are.

Prayer

Lord, forgive us for the times we have exchanged Your truth for lies. We pray for a turning of hearts—starting with ours—back to You, our Creator and Redeemer. Restore a spirit of worship in our homes, our churches, and our nation. May we fix our eyes on You and be transformed by Your glory. Amen.

Reflection Question:

What in your life threatens to take the place of God in your affections, your attention, or your trust?