a tour down the Romans Road.

[irishman]

On Tour
(On the Roman’s Road)

The tour guide said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, on your left as we enter the Roman’s Road, please notice the shabby run-down shack just behind those trees. At one time it was the most influential, prominent building in Christendom; it was, and still is, the first stop on the Romans Road. It enjoyed great blessings, and rose to great heights, while the multitudes stopped by often, but it soon became unpopular, overrun by pride: It was called ‘the beginning’. Notice the crossroads here, the sign post reads 310 Depravity Avenue. There are none righteous here, we see mayhem and violence everywhere. Lock your doors, as it is not safe to even pass through here at times.” Then, “Moving right along…” (Rom. 3:10)

“We approach, on the right, a dark, gloomy place—‘The House of Spiritual Death’. It is, unfortunately, the largest establishment on the Road, flourishing beyond belief. Years ago people entering the Road mostly stopped at the ‘Beginning’ but nowadays everyone stops here; this is a branch of ‘The Beginning’ or 310 Depravity, but notice again the crossroad, which is actually a weed infested trail,; 323 Perversity Street. We see many here who have fallen short of the glory of God, ugly sinners, trapped in the realm of the dead. Shall they live again? The buildings here and in 310 are dilapidated, weather beaten, and broken down. Weeds have taken over the yards, and mud and mire have replaced the fertile soil. The gloom is felt as a coldness one could almost grasp hold of, and the darkness is uncomfortable to say the least.” The tour guide had a stern look on his face, depicting the urgency of his words. (Romans 3:23)

Oh, then a little ways ahead, we came to a major thoroughfare, as the guide spoke, “On the right just ahead we will pass the most beautiful area we have seen as yet, this is the only way out of this forsaken land. A beautiful road, it is, called in the proper tongue ‘Redemption Place’, and rightly so, you see it is on the Romans Road, at 5:8, but we must pass it by for now and stay on the Road until the end.” The Road seems to end abruptly, and veer sharply to the right, as we continue on our journey. We are approaching the most unusual place on the Road, according to our guide. “Folks, feast your eyes on this next place, and notice the contrast of its building.” As we approached, we were amazed! The one side of the building was fallen and broken down, a gloomy, sort of atmosphere, while the other side was beauty and splendor unseen. The sun shone brightly on the one side, and cast dark shadows on the other. The Road was of the same pattern. The one side was a dense wilderness, and full of briars and swamps, while the other side was beauty and sunshine, except for the ugliness of the first part of the building immediately to our right. The first part was dirty and indescribably filthy, and stunk, while the second part was a mansion, and as bright as glory. As we passed by, I noticed the address was 623, and I wondered at the mystery of this place. The first part looked like death itself, while the second part reminded one of everlasting life. Men in the first half were ragged and dirty, they had gloomy looks on their faces; they were working and putting their wages in a bag with holes in it, but the second half were resting in a great calm, a sort of retirement community. (Romans 6:23)

The road then cut back sharply, and we found ourselves heading back in the same direction we had come, only in a different area. To our dismay, we were approaching Romans 512, a dingy, dirty sort of place with no future and little hope. The going here was hard, as we were bogged down by the mud and slime on the Road. Soon we were past this God-forsaken place, and there was light shining brightly up ahead. The Road veered again to the left, and as we turned the corner, the brightness was almost blinding. The road became straight and narrow as we ventured on.

The guide led us on to “Confession Hall” a wonderful place where one could leave his burdens and relax awhile. Romans 5:8 was nearby now, and the mood of our guide seemed more cheerful. There was “good news” we were told, on Romans 5:8, but we only caught a glimpse of it, as we passed by. Our Guide wanted us to continue on to 10:9, and the “Hall of Confession.” As we neared the Hall, conviction fell upon the group and we began weeping and seeking comfort in the Lord. Romans 10:9 and 10:10 were so closely united that they made one large building instead of two separate edifices. We were very near the end of our journey now, according to our guide, and the way would be much more pleasant from here on out. We all had to enter the “Hall of Confession” if we were of a willing heart, but there was a bus there to for those who did not wish to enter. It was to return them to the Hall of despair where they would be lost forever. This was a very important leg of the journey for all of us.

We rested in this place, and found the hall of confession. It was a beautiful place, making us forget the gloom and depravity of the places we had passed by. We lingered for a long while, enjoying the pleasant company and the beautiful surroundings, but were on our way again to the last stop, Romans 10:13. Here we found Peace and sweet rest, and we found life, and that more abundantly. We were saved from the power of the flesh that we had previously been captive to.

Gypsy Martindale