Conviction

I recently started to read from Romans and before i even got finished with Chapter 1 conviction hit me hard. In Romans 1:28-32 it talks a lot about wickedness. It starts out by saying, "Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done." This chapter is about the digression of people when they began to ignore the glory of God. Because people were ignoring his word and going off of their own judgements, their hearts and minds were given over to sin. Although there is nothing more satisfying than following the will of the Lord it is so easy to think that we have it figured out and that our plans will be just fine- obviously our will is nothing compared to His.

"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 are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them"

That is a lot to take in and it immediately struck me. Wickedness seems like such a harsh word but that is exactly what is trying to be conveyed here. The biggest part that stuck out to me was that it said EVERY KIND of wickedness and evil. I find myself guilty of more than a few of these- envy, gossip, slander, arrogance, boastfulness, and disobedience to my parents. The fact that these were at the top of the list for EVERY kind of wickedness made me really realize the severity of these actions. We clearly know that they are wrong but this puts it on a whole new level. Obviously a lot of us are guilty of these things but i think this offers us more than enough motivation to refrain from falling into these sins. It describes the people of doing these actions as senseless, faithless, heartless, and ruthless- i would never want to be considered any one of those things so why would i want to conduct myself in the same way as those who are? It is inevitable that we will all slip up and habits are hard to change but i hope this chapter can change your view on the actual seriousness of these things. However, we know that when we slip up and fall on our face we can get back up all we have to do is ask for forgiveness and it is given, all by His grace and mercy. I feel like this passage really speaks for its self but as Christians we are called to behave differently, and set ourselves apart. When sin present we can fight back, God will not let it consume us if we are really willing to push through and soak ourselves in His word and follow His will. You dont have to fight it alone.

God, help me to see the way that these sins can hurt others. I pray that you give me the strength to avoid falling into this. Grant me a heart that breaks for the things that breaks yours; give me guidance and counsel. Please help me to put your will in front of all other things in my life. I know that you have the power to do all things. I pray for others who are struggling with the same things that i am and i pray that they will find peace in your word. We are granted life through Jesus Christ and we thank you for your grace and patience. In your name, Amen.