My idea of God growing up wasn’t based on the Bible, but on “sayings” or “misunderstandings” of who God was.  The God I heard about seemed to be someone, who just couldn’t wait to punish you for your sins and struggles in life.  I don’t remember hearing of the kindness or patience of the Lord, even from Christians, which made me conclude why care to please such a constantly angry individual?

Though the Bible is clear about God feeling indignation everyday, because He is righteous and perfectly holy, in having to endure the constant wickedness in the earth.  Yet if we were to be honest about our own obedience and faith to please God, and measure His mercy and blessings against that, we would have to say He is kind!  Not only kind to us as Christians, but kind to the unbelieving sinner to consider His kindness and repent, much like we did! (Psalm 7:11, 103:10, Matthew 5:43-48)

The problem with coming to God is not how hard He is, but how kind He is!  That it is possible to “coast” in the perfect patience of God, and not understand that His kindness is for us to consider and change, not be greedy and take advantage of it.  Much like a parent who fights to be patient, instead of quick tempered with a child who won’t change their behavior, eventually they resort to discipline.  So the child doesn’t presume on their kindness, as if it is “o.k.” to continue misbehaving. (Proverbs 15:10)

When someone is “too good” to us, the natural reaction of immaturity and sin is not reciprocity or to give back, but to indulge and take advantage of.  Presuming on someone’s goodness as if they don’t have a side to them that says, “enough”!  People generally do this to one another, because they have not seen the other side of the person they are taking advantage of, they wrongly presume they will always be patient…

That example is for us to think about the Lord, and not to think of Him as being too hard, but to think of how good He is.  But we only come to appreciate this “goodness” if we see our sin against Him.  That’s why it is a grace to care or be convicted about our sin.  Because conviction teaches us not to presume as if God will always “put up” with our lack of caring.  A loving parent, looks to put before a child a warning of what could happen, if they keep presuming on their goodness, not just scaring them to change, but really loving them to change.  (Psalm 94:7, Proverbs, 13:24, Hebrews 3:13, 2 Timothy 2:25)

In His Love, Ld