I find it interesting that most of Paul's laundry list of transgressions isn't even in our top ten list of what we consider to be sin. By comparison much of the time we don't feel that participating in these things to be wrong. But notice that this lifestyle is what comes about by setting our face against the Lord.
Paul starts out by saying that 'they have become filled with every king of wickedness', the Amplified Bible says that they have been permeated and saturated with every kind of unrighteousness. The fruit of this life style is listed as well... envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice and gossipers. The next few verses will also cover more of these outgrowth of hardness of heart. But when you boil it down, it all comes back to not recognizing God as God. Throughout this whole passage in Romans 1, this is the root of the issue.
When you recognize God for who He is and what He has done for you, then the lifestyle that follows comes directly from relationship. I find it very easy to get caught away with the office chatter but have to tell myself to walk away from it. Proverbs 18:8 says, "The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts" Not only do they go down inside you, but as words spoken with mal intent, they will proceed to rot from the inside out.
Do I walk away from gossip because I feel condemnation from God if I don't? No, I walk away from it because God has already instructed me to and has also warning me against it. Because I know God and know His love for me, I know, these instructions come about for my good.
When we stop to recognize God and glorify Him as God, this solves the problem of moving towards a base and condemned mind. We will live our lives out of His love and goodness and be less willing or susceptible to the desires of the flesh. Today, I challenge you to take inventory of your life and weed out those things mentioned above so you can really live life to the fullest and bring glory to God.
