“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…” (Titus 3:4); “The kindness of God leads to repentance…” (Rom. 2:4); “He (God) is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” (Luke 6:35); “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:32)
Heavenly Father, this waterfall of “kindness verses” shocks, encourages, and convicts me. First of all, only you can be/are kind to the broadest range of unlikely candidates for your compassion and goodness—from the “ungrateful” to the “wicked.”
This doesn’t mean you are indifferent to “wickedness.” It means even the wicked aren’t beyond the reach of your grace. It also means our “ingratitude” is so serious to you, we’re not beyond the need of your grace.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, make us kinder, Father. When did we start taking offense quicker than we give mercy? How did our heart-skin get so thin, and our anger-triggers so “hair-trigger-ish”? When did we join the “9-healed-yet-thankless-lepers-club”? (Luke 17:11-19)
Help us drench our roots of bitterness and resentment (Heb. 12:15) with “Gospel-Roundup,” then pull them up with grace-dozers. Make getting low to wash feet more our instinct than getting sassy to get even.
Father, forgive us for taking any/all of your good gifts for granted—as though we deserve or have earned air, water, your sovereign care and copious grace. Dull our edges, thaw our “chilly” attitudes, humble our haughty hearts. Supersize our thankfulness. Free us to extend to others the same loving-kindness you lavish on us in Jesus. So Very Amen.