Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
Romans 2:4
God’s Nature is Kind, Tolerant, and Patient
The Amplified Version of Romans 2:4 describes the riches of God as “kind, tolerant, and patient; withholding His wrath.” Paul is reminding the saints of how God’s kindness led them to repentance. How He gently, drew the Romans to Himself, waiting patiently for them to turn to Him.
God is Long-Suffering
David knew of His patience and loving-kindness. It has been over a year when Nathan confronted his sin, David begged the Lord to restore fellowship with Him. The first thing David said was, “Be gracious to me, God, according to your faithful love; according to your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion.” (Psalm 51:1)
God’s Loving-Kindness is for Anyone
God did deal with him according to His loving-kindness and He still does for us. This kindness was not just extended to David but to anyone who would repent and turn from their sin. My heart cannot grasp how good, kind, and patient God has been, not just to His own people, Israel, but for all of us.
“Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” –
Mark Twain.
Living Like Jesus Points Us to God
It is something that touches the soul of man. Our lifestyle will draw men to Christ. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “be kind… compassionate … forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you.
To the Colossians, Paul wrote, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders,.. Let your speech always be with grace, … seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person”.
Living like Jesus draws men to Himself. It causes one to “want some of that”. And when they ask us what is different about us, we should be “ready to make a defense… to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence”.
How to Have More Kindness
In conclusion, while kindness may come more naturally for some, true kindness is a Fruit of the Spirit. It develops out of our willingness to fully surrender to the Holy Spirit. In her book, Jesus in Me, Anne Graham Lotz writes,
“While you have the Holy Spirit within you, the cooperation of your full surrender, obedience, and faith is required to activate it.”
She quotes Dr. Alan Redpath, Moody Church,
“it is a moment-by-moment surrender to the moment-by-moment control of the Holy Spirit”
(qtd. Alan Redpath, The Making of a Man of God: Lessons from the Life of David,9)
It is a daily commitment to rise in the morning and give your day to the Lord. It makes all the difference.
Dig Deeper into Romans 2:4
I am privileged to share my studies at Gracefully Truthful. Click through to read more.
Pastor’s Wife (retired) & Chronic Pain Warrior blogs about how to make it through anything by relating her own life experiences to her writing. She is passionate about her love for the Lord and desires to spread that passion to others. She has a great desire to encourage women who are following behind her.
Thanks for a great study, Mandy. It feels like we are so forgetful of the basics of kindness this day and age. Oh, how I pray the Lord would pour over us grace to be kind like He is again.
Indeed, we need to have kindness again! God will work it in us if only we will let the Holy Spirit be in control of our lives instead of wanting to be in control of ourselves! What a challenge! Thanks for coming by.
Yes! The Lord’s kindness drives me into him deeper and deeper. I hope I come away looking more like him and giving more kindness to others.
Amen to that! Thanks for reading!