Do You Like Lists?

Do you like lists? Does it make you feel better when you can put a check mark in a little box? Does exileration fill your soul when the daily list is done? Then you will love the book of Romans. 

However, the lists in this amazing letter are not very pretty. And checking them isn't really the goal. Some of the lists are just facts about human nature. Truths that will make your head spin and your heart sink.

Look at chapter one for instance.

Romans 1:29-32 talking about the natural man Paul gives a doozy of a character quality list. His divinely inspired commentary is as follows: 

They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, 

evil, 

greed and 

depravity. 

They are full of envy, 

murder, 

strife, 

deceit and 

malice. 

They are gossips, 

slanderers, 

God-haters, 

insolent, 

arrogant and 

boastful; 

they invent ways of doing evil; 

they disobey their parents; 

they have no understanding, 

no fidelity, 

no love, 

no mercy. 

So as you check the book of Romans off your daily Bible reading schedule, you might want to visit it more than once this year. It seems like the above list describes our current administration. Maybe, refreshing our minds in Romans will help us better pray for our leaders. It was Nero who was ruler in Paul's day. Just to put this tome in perspective.