created things

"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)
Was this written about 2009 or 57 A.D.? Both! The Apostle Paul, leader in the early church, wrote this to Christians in Rome in the first century, but also to us. It seems they had the same spiritual problems: materialism, consumerism, idolatry, trying to create God in their own image. One wise Christian teacher once said, "the basic sin of humanity is worshiping what was intended to only be used and trying to use that which should be worshiped." Very true! We tend to worship things, even Creation itself. We try to use God to get what we want. We were meant to worship God and use things, not worship things and try to use God.
Think today about the things you own. Do they receive more of your attention than your relationship with God and other people? (Richard Foster writes that every material thing we own takes care and attention). Do your possessions own you? Recommit your life today to worshiping God and holding the things of this world loosely.