Romans 2:4
The Voice
4 Do you take the kindness of God for granted? Do you see His patience and tolerance as signs that He is a pushover when it comes to sin? How could you not know that His kindness is guiding our hearts to turn away from distractions and habitual sin to walk a new path?
Throughout Scripture, the Lord warns the world to be ready for his return; to accept salvation in Christ and be living in the work of the Spirit to deliver us from habitual sin. The Lord wants his Bride, the Church, to be adorned with the eternal fruit of the Spirit: acting from the loving presence of God in us. He reminds us over and over again in the gospels that we must be born from above and live in the Spirit of righteousness to avoid being eternally separated from God; habitual sin is a problem.
The Apostle Paul reminds us today that sin is both the cause and effect of God’s judgment. We are judged for our sin and we are judged by our sin. God encourages us to walk away from sin (the cause) into repentance and salvation, because then the Presence and power of the Lord is with us. When we choose to habitually live in sin, we face the absence of the Lord (the effect). May we continually pray for the salvation of the world (to accept Christ) and for the Church to live in his Presence.
Prayer: Lord, help me to live in your presence and to never take for granted how you really feel about sin. I pray for the blood of Jesus to cover me while the Spirit takes me deeper into the eternal life that brings me endless joy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.