Romans

I attend a (wonderful) Bible Study on Thursday mornings called CBS (Community Bible Study). It's a national organization that has been around for years. My mom has been involved with it since it's inception in the Birmingham area (around 26 years), so I've been exposed to it most of my life. This next school year, we will spend 30 weeks studying the book of Romans. This morning, it's raining, Josh and I had a date night last night, he's still in bed, and the kids are up being low-key. I fixed me a cup of coffee and found some much needed time in the Word. If I was being honest, I just don't do it enough. Sure, I have little devotional books, programs on my phone that allow me to read and listen to the Bible, and even have scripture hanging on the walls in my house. But, I've been dry lately. Busy, drained, filling into others, and not taking care of myself. It happens, but it's not something that I want to be a regular thing. Yesterday, I heard a quote from Max Lucado, "The ripple of today's lie is tomorrow's wave and next year's flood. Be like Jesus and tell the truth!" That stuck with me. Not in reference necessarily to a lie, but about me and Josh. We're busy. Most weeks, we just co-exist. Two jobs, several ministries, three kiddos, after school activities. We live in the same house, but aren't always interacting with each other. We check in often and make sure each other is ok, but we really are just floating by each other some days. I heard this quote and it made me be concerned about our relationship. I know it is not healthy to assume each day/week/month that we are "just busy" and that our relationship is ok (it is, by the way). My point is this, days build into weeks build into months build into years.  If we don't give it daily attention, before we know it, the problem could be bigger than "we're just busy."

So, I also thought about that in my time (or lack of time) spent in God's word lately. I decided to read in Romans for a little prep for next year's study. Do you know what happens to people who "do not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God?" (Romans 1:28) They "become filled with wickedness, evil, greed and depravity... Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant and boastful... They invent ways of doing evil, the disobey their parents, they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless." (Romans 1:29-31) And "Although they KNOW God's righteous decree, they not only CONTINUE to do these very things, but also APPROVE of those who practice them." (Romans 1:32) So, here I am on a random, rainy, baseball game cancelled kind of Saturday, and I decided to dig into the Word. The Word that is living and active. The Word that is breathed by the Spirit of God and can divide bone from marrow. I opened it, and I was so deeply reminded that I am not in it enough! Senseless? Gossip? Greedy? These things happen when I decide it's not WORTHWHILE to retain the knowledge of God. Ouch!

Ouch!

So, I now have no excuse. I asked for His words to impact me. I asked to read something that I felt was real. That's what I got. Wow! And, as I proofread, I realize that I said my kids were being low-key for a Saturday morning. Well, that was a very temporary luxury. Although, the husband in the bed thing? That hasn't resolved itself yet :)