“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…” (Tit. 3:4-6). “The kindness of God leads you to repentance…” (Rom. 2:4). “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Col. 3:12).
Heavenly Father, thank you for being relentlessly kind, gentle, and patient with us. By your kindness, you exposed the depth of our need, and revealed Jesus as our singular hope. You saved us… hallelujah, you saved us—not by anything we have done, but by what Jesus accomplished for us, once and for all.
We now live in a perpetual state of your kindness—your unwavering disposition of welcome, compassion, and affection. It’s unlike any other relationship we’ve ever known.
So, on this January 6th, we repent. First and foremost, we repent of not believing you love us as much as you say you do (Eph. 3:18-19). Father, continue to free us from under-believing the Gospel. It’s still too easy for us to over-believe our fears, shame, and pride—along with the overt and covert lies of the devil.
We also repent of hoarding your grace, stereotyping others, and justifying our harshness. You canceled our sin, not us. You don’t “put up with us,” you put us “in Christ” (Col. 3:1-4). You continue to use your kindness to lead us to repentance. Thank you.
Father, by the power that raised Jesus from the dead, enable us to believe and obey this one verse today, then tomorrow: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32). So Very Amen.
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