ROMANS 2:4

Do you take the kindness of God for granted? Do you see His patience and tolerance as signs that He is a pushover when it comes to sin? How could you not know that His kindness is guiding our hearts to turn away from distractions and habitual sin to walk a new path? (The Voice)

TO PONDER

In Chapter 2 of his letter to the church in Rome, Paul really speaks some harsh words. He stresses to his readers that God is a Holy God and His holiness has zero room for all failures to live to his standards. This would be horrendous news if we left out the Love of God where His Son stepped in to rescue us through his life, death and resurrection on this earth. Having been rescued and adopted into God’s family as His dearly loved children, God’s plan is that we now live in such a way that we demonstrate the characteristics of our Father God in our attitudes, our priorities, in effect, in all aspects of our lives.

But Paul is also aware of the temptation to take all the benefits of being God’s child, but not the responsibilities. There is this subtle shifting away of our focus of caring about the needs of others and sharing God’s love to needing to spend more time on the things that bring enjoyment to ourselves (sometimes at the expense of others). There is even the temptation to believe that being a Christian takes all the fun out of life.

If we look at Jesus’s life as recorded in the New Testament, we never find Jesus being a party pooper. He enjoyed banquets and wedding celebrations. God designed our lives to be enjoyed. But the joy and satisfaction in life is to be found in serving one another. And God, in his love, has set the example of how to carry out that service to others. What greater joy can we receive than to see how others are blessed by our service to them. But we don’t do it to receive that joy, but because our loving God has set us an example by the way he has first served us.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you again for all Jesus did here on earth to restore us as your dearly loved children. Help us to never take your love for granted, but please guide us with you Spirit to love others as you love us. Amen

Today's devotion written by Charles Bertelsmeier, LifeWay Epping