Founders Note: Today on the blog we one of are monthly contributors Beka, she is sharing her heart on this month's theme Repentance. You can find out more about Beka on are about page.
I have been slowly working my way through Romans...and when I say slowly, I mean s l o w l y. I copy out a few verses a day, meditate on them, and study them. I've noticed that when I take my time with Scripture, certain passages jump out to me like never before.
About halfway through chapter one of Paul's letter to the Romans, we find this statement in verse eighteen: “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” The rest of the chapter turns into a giant body-slam of accusations against the wickedness of man, shining light on all those dark places where the men actually delight in their own unrighteousness and filth.
“They were filled with all manner of envy, murder, unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice, strife, deceit, wickedness...” (vs. 29.)
You can almost picture the young Christians in Rome, when hearing this portion of the letter read, nodding in agreement over the description of such 'sinners'; some might have even shouted a hearty Amen! after verse 31, “they are foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless!”
When chapter two of Paul's letter opens, I'm sure the room became silent very quickly.
“You have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things!” (2:1)
The verses in following challenge the haughty attitudes we naturally succumb to when reading chapter one...I am so glad that God's wrath doesn't fall on ME! What dirty, rotten sinners those people must be that Paul is talking about!
Verse 4 brings some of the most haunting words of Scripture, “Are you presuming on the riches of God's kindness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
>cricket cricket<
We are those sinners! We are filled with all manner of envy, murder, and evil! We are the filthy lost ones, hiding in darkness like cowards; and we somehow think we have the right to presume upon His great kindness in saving us from our ignorance.
It's in HIS love we are rescued; it's HIS patience that has dealt with us in our rebellion; and it's HIS kindness that leads us to repentance.
Meditate on this great truth, and humble yourself before our mighty, kind, awesome Savior.
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Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:24