Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Rom. 2:4
Heavenly Father, for the gift of another day, I praise you; for the privilege of meditating on the Scriptures, I worship you; for the joy of daily mercies and fresh grace, I adore you. All of these good gifts converge in this portion of your Word Lord the most certifiably insane thing I do is to show contempt for the riches of your kindness, tolerance, and patience towards me in Jesus. I do this when I dig my heels in and refuse to follow your kindness into fresh repentance.
The GPS of the gospel will never direct me to a destination of harm, but only to a place of greater freedom. When I refuse to humble myself… when I refuse to acknowledge the ways I love poorly… when I refuse to repent of attitudes and actions that contradict the gospel… I’m acting like a crazy man. Showing contempt for your kindness is certifiable insanity.
Father, I praise you today for being outrageously affluent in the currency of kindness, tolerance, and patience. There’s no economic downturn in heaven—never has been, never will be. But there’s nothing in me that assumes the right to any of your loving ways. It’s only because Jesus willingly endured the judgment I deserve that I’m in a position to be dealt with so mercifully and graciously.
Thank you for leading me to humility, not to humiliation; to shelter, not to shame; to repentance, not to penance. To repent is to collapse upon Jesus as my righteousness, holiness and guarantee of a good and loving heart.
So this morning, kind Father, I repent. I repent of not trusting that you are at work in irritating, out-of-my-control circumstances. I’ve looked at the weaknesses of others more than I’ve kept my eyes fixed on Jesus. I’ve been moping and plotting like an orphan, rather than rejoicing and trusting as a beloved son. So very Amen I pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty name.