Like Paul's longing to visit Rome, I have felt a need and desire to study the book of Romans in great depth for a long, long time. It's just such a daunting and intimidating book. I remember in 2004 in Salt Lake City at a youth conference called Challenge '04 that I chaperoned with our youth pastor, John Miller, talking about it and saying that I was looking for a really good study of Romans. I've since thought several times that I want to study it. Not long ago I heard Mark Driscol say (paraphrasing) that the advice he was given as a new Christian was to, "Take one book of the bible and read and study it until you really know it. And then do that over and over and over again until you die." It's time. Romans is that book.
My plan each time I sit down (hopefully each night) is to ask God to speak to me through His Word and tell Him that I'm ready to hear Him. Then read from one section heading to the next and then read through Timothy Keller's commentary on that section in his book, "Romans For You."
I started tonight, and it was so good...
