God's kindness

Here's something interesting and instructive I found this morning in Romans. Remember how we learned that God gave the Ten Commandments for a number of reasons, partly to show his own kindness to us in rescuing us from ourselves? The Ten Commandments surely show us how deeply he loves us, and how fervently he wishes us to love others. They show us his kindness in that he actually cared enough to give us rules to keep us holy and to help us know how to live in imitation of his love. Think of what the world would look like if we took the "nots" out of the commandments and obeyed without them: Thou shalt kill, thou shalt covet, thou shalt bear false witness, etc. Granted, our world often looks like we obey them that way, but that is not the way God gave them. And for good reason. Because he loves us too much to see us destroy ourselves and others. Hear what God said through Hosea, the prophet: When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. . . . I led them with cords of kindness [think manna, water from a rock, shoes that didn't wear out for 40 years, and on and on], with bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. (Hosea 11:1, 4) The commandments were given out of this rich and bountiful kindness to us.

So here's what Romans said about this: 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? (2:4, italics mine). Gulp.

I don't know about you, but I have been doing an awful lot of presuming, and not a whole lot of repenting. I love God's kindness; I love thinking about it, talking about it, singing about it. Following up on it? Not so much.

God loves us, that much we know. But his goal for us is not to bask in the sunshine of his kindness, but to move forward into his likeness. "I appeal to you therefore, [sisters], by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:1,2, italics mine)

I challenge all of us to be led into repentance by his kindness, and dwell there for a good long while.

Thoughts?
Jean