droplets from the roman fire hydrant

i enjoy mornings. i enjoy being up early getting a head start on my to-do list, drinking coffee, just being awake in general. i especially love mornings when i get to see some people i love. every Friday morning a group of ladies roll out of bed (some more willing than others), order our Starbucks usuals with our favorite barista Jen, and attempt to wake our brains up quickly so we can read the Word together. over the past several months we went through Romans. reading Romans before the sun was even awake was a little intense some days but aways beneficial. here is my attempt to summarize some nuggets of the book one chapter at a time with a theme that we talked about that week (or a theme that hit me personally). reading Romans is a lot like trying to sip out of a fire hydrant. there is SO much we can apply and learn from this book. this summer we only touched the tip of the iceberg!

warning: this is not a "feel good" chapter. it's more of a "kick to the face chapter." 

chapter 1 talks about humanity's inexcusable need for a Savior. Paul explains how God has shown himself to us through nature (so we have no excuse not to know He exists) and later lists many of our sinful habits (so we have no excuse not to need Him). sounds super uplifting right?

let's get specific.

a couple times Paul lists off examples of these said sinful habits that those who ignore God practice. let's try a few with ourselves shall we?...
- murdering (i think we may be safe here. maybe.)
- covetousness (pinterest alone makes me covet. nice homes, rockin' bodies, yummy desserts...)
- gossip (ha. check. unfortunately.)
- boastful (how often do we hope someone will notice our achievement and happen to mention it in front of people? oh just me? awesome.)
- and in case you don't happen to struggle with this list, he ends it with verse 32...

 "Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them."

ouch. i read that and felt like someone had punched me in the gut. it's like Paul said, "oh so you haven't struggled with these lately? well, have you been approving of someone else engaging in these?" my pride loves to convince me that godliness is the same as avoiding this list of sins. while i'm sure He would prefer us not to engage in these behaviors, He is FAR more concerned with the condition of our heart (see also Mary and Martha and psalms 51). what is my attitude toward sin? does it deeply grieve me or do i just hope no one finds out about it?

now to be honest, i'm not sure i know exactly what it means to apply the truth of this verse to my life. does that mean we aren't to watch TV or movies with characters practicing any of these behaviors? or do we make sure we aren't approving of sin in others' lives? what if i'm struggling with that sin myself?

i suppose that's why we have the Holy Spirit. to walk us through those type of questions. this verse does make me think of my friendships. are they uplifting? is our friendship making me and the friend more Christ-like? are we better people because of our time together?

despite the fact that romans isn't that encouraging off the starting block, we should be encouraged. because without knowing our dire state, we will never truly appreciate Christ or see how infinitely unworthy we are to have relationship with him.

stay tuned. it gets better!