Today's Reading July 31

This morning in the Old Testament we look to Psalms 62, 63, and 64. All of these are from David. I particularly (personal preference, nothing more) love Psalm 63. According to my study Bible, he composed it when he was in the wilderness of Judah. In this case, ''wilderness'' does not mean 'jungle', it's more like a desert plain I guess, or an arid grassland at best. And David is having a hard time, and yet his greatest need is for the Lord. I confess, there have been and are times in my life when I did hunger and thirst for the Lord in the way David does here, but not as often or as deeply as should be the case. David says it well,

1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

To be desperate for the Lord, when NOTHING else will do, that is proper.
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Now we get into Paul's Epistle to the Romans, beginning with all of Romans 1. I have in one of my other study Bibles, the Living Insights Study Bible with commentary by Chuck Swindoll, an account of a great minister named Donald Barnhouse, who, on assuming a new pastorate, stepped into the pulpit the first Sunday and preached on Romans 1, verse 1. The second Sunday he took on Romans 1, verse 2, and didn't quite finish. So on Sunday 3 he took up where he'd left off and continued in this vein for, I believe 42 months never leaving the book of Romans. This was later published in 10 volumes entitled ''Romans''. I'd love to read that work. The book of Romans is one of the most important in all the New Testament. And yes, they're all important. But some really stand out, and Romans is one of them. There's just not much ''filler'' here, it's all good stuff.
For example, look at the very first word. ''Paul ...''. Stop there. That was not his 'given' name, not the one his parents gave, it was not his name at his Bar Mitzvah. Now go back to where Saul of Tarsus became Paul. What caused that change in his life? He met Jesus, that's what happened, and from that moment forth, his whole being changed. See what I mean? You absolutely could make a sermon out of Romans 1:1. Someone did. Read this whole work in that manner, don't fly past anything. There are nuggets of real gold here if we don't speed past them. I call attention to the end of the chapter, verses 28 to the end of the chapter. See if you don't agree that it sounds all too much like our world today, and indeed several 'churches'.

The Book of Romans

Chapter 1
1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
2 (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,)
3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
6 Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ:
7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers;
10 Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established;
12 That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles.
14 I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise.
15 So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Hab 2:4 Gal 3:11
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.