Do you despise God’s goodness?
February 13, 2019 (Bible Devotional)
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? — Romans 2:4
Goodness and forbearance
God’s goodness can be seen throughout the ages. In all of his dealings with mankind, he is gracious. His mercy is ever extended. He is always willing to forgive. He sends his rain and blessing on both the righteous and the wickedness. He provides his bounties for all to benefits. He has no respect of persons. He lives to satisfy the desire of all living things.
The goodness and forbearance of God are purposeful. God’s goodness should not be used as an excuse to continue in wrongdoing. God wants up to grow into the full measure of Christ. He wants us to walk from victory to victory. He forbears with us. He suffers long. But He does not want us to stay the same.
God is patient with his children. He wants them to walk before Him. He stands behind them not to scorn to uphold them. He is their backup in the highest sense. When we fall, he is ever ready to pick us up. Even with the most wicked nations, God is very patient. The nations of the Canaan were not judged for hundreds of years. God forbear the wickedness of Israel for about half a millennium. Even in his justice good shows supreme patience.
The riches
God is not simply good or forbearing. He is rich in mercy. He is rich in goodness. He is longsuffering. God’s goodness is not bounded by some meager measure. His goodness is ever overflowing. He has an abundant supply. We need never doubt that the store of his bountiful goodness is running low. The Lord our God is good.
Despise
We need to understand the purpose of God’s goodness. When we fail to do so we are more prone to misuse his grace, his goodness, and his mercy. God needs us to understand that sin is offensive to him. He wants to know that there more grace available to overcome. He does not want us to hide and chide in fears. He extends his arm of love to us to help us grow.
Yet, it is not in God’s desire that we remain beaten by life, and engulfed by sin. He does not want us to abide in the mire of iniquity. His goodness is never to have us comfortable in sin. We want us to turn to him instead. He desires that we should seek his presence. He desires that we should seek in help to overcome the temptations that so easily besets us.
When we decide to remain in sin we despise the forbearance of God. It is presumptuous to sin with the supposition that God will understand. God does not seek to merely understand, God is seeking to save and to restore. When we come to him by faith, we must no more desire to fulfill the desire of the flesh. A closer look at the goodness and forbearance of God should inspire us to further resolve to never want to sin again. This is exactly what it means by the putting off of the old man. We desire God, not sin.
Lead to repentance
The goodness of God is design to help overcome. As we see his compassion, we desire to be ushered in a closer relationship with Him. We do not want to frustrate his grace. We do not want to abuse his goodness. We do not want to despise his forbearance. Yet instead we want to turn from our old life habits, we want to turn on from our old conversations to serve the living God.
As we God’s goodness, we desire to please him. We long to live in accordance to his will. We long to co-labor with him to become victorious. This sincere desire will lead us to repentance. It will bring us to the firm resolution to live for God’s glory alone. We trade our desire for sin for bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering. As we see the longsuffering of God we, in turn, forbear one another and forgive one another.
When we see the goodness of God, we open our hearts that He may dwell in us richly in all wisdom. How do see the goodness of God? How is that we are become acquainted with his forbearance? We God’s goodness in the things that his as created. We see his goodness in our lives. We see in goodness in the plan of Salvation. We see his goodness at Calvary. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.
