Our Sovereign God

"Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"

Romans 2:4 (NIV)

Has it ever frustrated you that some people who openly disregard God seem to go through life without apparent consequences? They make no room for God, they live entirely for themselves, and from the outside their lives look perfectly comfortable. Meanwhile, faithful Christians face real difficulties. It can seem, if we are honest, deeply unfair.

But we are making a mistake that is as old as the book of Psalms. We judge by what is visible in the short term and forget what is invisible in the long term. We see only the surface of a life. God sees everything.

And here is the profound truth Paul identifies in Romans 2: the very prosperity and ease that someone who ignores God enjoys is itself an expression of God's kindness toward them. God is not absent or indifferent. He is patient. He is giving them time. His kindness is not approval of their direction. It is an invitation to turn.

The danger is that the invitation can be mistaken for permission. When nothing bad happens, it is easy to conclude that nothing matters, that there are no ultimate consequences, that God is not watching or does not care. This is the very contempt Paul describes: treating God's patience as indifference.

God sees the whole picture. He knows what He is doing. His patience is not weakness. It is mercy. And His mercy has a purpose: that those who are far from Him would turn before it is too late.

This truth has two applications. For those who are far from God: His patience is a gift, not a guarantee. The door is open now. It will not always be. For those who are already in Christ: trust God's timing. Do not lose heart when the wicked seem to flourish. God is not asleep. He is at work.

Ask God today to use you to point someone toward the kindness that leads to repentance. That is the purpose of patience.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that Your patience with people who are far from You is an act of mercy, not indifference. Help me not to judge by what I can see, but to trust that You see everything. And use me to point others toward the kindness that leads to repentance. Amen.

Pastor Ras
All Nations Community Church

Enjoyed today’s devotional? Sign up for our newsletter and never miss a daily devotional.