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
I was once told you can tell a leader not by their title but by how many people are following them… In today’s focus verse Paul is writing to the religious leaders of the Church of Rome… This church had not been visited by Paul; however, the religious structure and advancement of the church were brought to His attention which compelled this letter… Paul is instructing the leaders to look within themselves before they pass judgment on another person! Often times we find ourselves down-playing the sins that we have committed by trying to magnify the sins of our colleagues… We take a stance of being “holier than thou” and not having any fault within us. Paul is saying that we must remember that God has tolerated all of our sins, we must remember that He will stand as the judge and that He desires for all to be saved…
We have all been guilty at times of “despising the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering…” This simply means that we belittle the things that God has done despite the many flaws we have… We don’t give life to the grace and mercy that He has dispensed upon our lives; however we want to be critical about the paths that others travel… Whether we want to admit the truth today or decide to live a life of deceit; God knows that it is only by His desires for all to be saved and to repent that we are not consumed by the temptations and lust set before us by the enemy… We make mistakes, but we must know that God has given us a way to be victorious through His son Jesus Christ. The key to the mistakes you make is realizing that only Jesus Christ can cleanse you and wipe your slate clean… There is no sin that God can’t heal, no path that God can’t alter, and no mistakes that God can’t correct… Paul is charging us today to remember that we are to look on those around us with the same compassion and love that Christ showed us on the cross and His father showed by sending Him in the first place… Paul is asking us to remember that it was by God’s grace and mercy that we have been offered the opportunity to defeat the grasp of sin and be the victorious creation He called us to be…
The “longsuffering” of God means that He has been patient despite our mess, despite our mistakes and despite our disobedience… Know the importance of what Paul is saying to the church… We all were bound to sin; however the sins that bound us before Christ bind us no more… The power the enemy has over you is what you give Him… He doesn’t want you to turn to the Lord; Satan doesn’t want you to acknowledge the “goodness of God…” If you do than your heart will be broken and contrite just like David and this will conduct the very work of God which will “leadeth thee to repentance…” Paul writes one chapter later in Romans 3:23 that “we all have fallen short of the Glory of God!” It is only through your acknowledgement of sin that you can be healed and turn away from your transgressions which is what God desires and what Paul is writing about… God has not liked or been pleased by your path of sin and the choices you have made; however, He has tolerated the choices you made, He has bore the heavy burden of the decisions you choose and has always desired for you to seek him so that He can heal and restore you… By His Grace, By His Mercy, By His Longsuffering are we here and have been presented the opportunity of a life-time… Take advantages of this chance, but more importantly, don’t condemn others… Allow them a chance to experience God’s love just like you…
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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