The Purpose of His Goodness!
Romans 2nd Chapter
3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
Have you ever thought about just how good God is? If you meditate long enough on His goodness, you would probably get convicted enough to feel a need to change yourself. You would probably find something in your life that you need to get rid of to please God. And once you got rid of it, you wouldn’t even dare to think of going back to it. This is known as repentance, when we turn away from one thing/direction toward another. However, if we don’t meditate on God’s goodness, we are more than likely to let our feelings rule us. But even on the days that we put our flesh first, God is still mighty good to us.
I’m sure there have been days that we all did not feel like going to church, but God still watched over us. I’m sure that there were days that we did not give financially as the Holy Spirit instructed us, yet God still provided a paycheck at the end of the month. I’m sure that there were moments that we did not stand for Jesus on our jobs, schools, and even in our homes the way we should have, yet Jesus never stopped interceding for us before His Father in Heaven. Even when we were out in the world, committing sinful acts that we now shudder to think of, God watched over us only as He could. Why? Because, as our text tells us, His goodness leads us to repentance.
You see, religion will condemn us and tell us that we have to be perfect to see God’s goodness. But I’m here to tell you that God’s goodness was not created for the perfect person but for the imperfect person, the one who has done wrong. God’s word says it’s not His punishment that will turn us around and get us on the right track; it’s His goodness!! And because we were created in His image, we should show others OUR goodness, even if they mistreat us. Let’s look at the following scriptures:
Proverbs 25th Chapter
21 If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
22 For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
Matthew 5:44: “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Today, it is our challenge to be God’s goodness in the earth. We will be the kind act, the welcoming smile, the friendly face, the warm embrace, the encouraging word, the attentive ear, or the receptive heart that someone needs. So I proclaim that you will see God’s Goodness today and you will be His goodness today. Why? Because someone needs to see His goodness in order to repent.
