The kindness of God to us . . . and to others

‘Or do you show contempt…not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Romans 2.4

This is one of those verses that has a slight sting to it!  The sting is this: it is not just to us that God delights to show his kindness, but also to those who hurt us.  Our challenge is how we feel about this.

When we do something wrong, perhaps when we say or do something that brings hurt to another, we are thrilled by the reality of forgiveness.  If such forgiveness prompts us to seek a deeper cleansing from the Holy Spirit, then the kindness of God really has led us to repentance, and we rejoice.  However, what if this same process applies to others?  Suppose someone hurts us and rather than facing the punishment of God, they too encounter his kindness.  How much do we rejoice then?  Our ability to forgive them is probably a good indicator of our attitude.

The kindness of God is wonderful when we experience it personally, but when we can accept and enjoy his kindness to others it must bring great pleasure to God.

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