Read: Romans 2:1-24
Think: Romans 2:4 is a very unexpected Bible verse because Paul surprises the reader when he suggests, “… that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” In any culture, if a father allowed his son to die in the place of someone who actually deserved the penalty of death, that father would have done something no one expected! And anyone who received such kindness would surely be indebted to that man and his son for the rest of his or her life. This is what Paul is trying to say! The Gospel message is powerful because God’s kindness is both undeserved and unexpected! When we truly understand the cost Jesus paid for our lives to be made right with God, His Father, Paul is confident that God’s kindness will cause us to abruptly and gratefully turn from anything or many things that separate us from Him.
Act: If you’ve been forgiven when you didn’t deserve it, or released from a penalty because someone simply “let you off the hook,” you have undoubtedly felt the huge sense of relief that follows. Early in the book of Romans, Paul is trying to express how easy it is to take for granted the cost that was paid by God and Jesus for us to experience eternal life (rather than what we deserve—eternal judgment). Repentance and forgiveness are major themes of the Gospel message. As we consider how God, in His great kindness, forgives us, we must also consider how to offer forgiveness—that sense of relief—to others who don’t deserve it. Identify someone in your life that God is asking you to forgive with the same kindness that He has shown you: ________________.
Pray: Dear Jesus, thank you for forgiving me so completely, so often, and with such kindness. Help me to be known as a truly forgiving person. Help me let go of my need to be right. Help me to release others from any unforgiveness. Give me an extra measure of Your kindness, dear Lord. I love You. Amen.
Be full of faith today!
