Extravagant!

Once again, I am reading through the New Testament, a chapter a day. Rather than the KJV or the NIV versions, I am using the Passion Translation of 2020.

A couple days ago I was struck with verses four and five of Romans chapter 2. As I read and reread them, I visualized them written in a poetic format, and they became even more impactful.

Do the riches of His extraordinary kindness make you take Him for granted and despise Him?

Haven’t you experienced how kind and understanding He has been to you?

Don’t mistake His tolerance for acceptance.

Do you realize that all the wealth of His extravagant kindness is meant to melt your heart and lead you into repentance?

The Spirit used these poignant questions to reach deeply into my soul. Will He do the same for you?

Linda Highman

6 Responses

  2. I love that irregardless of my contemptful sins, His continued goodness prompts me to reach up to Him in faith (as a child to her earthly father) and God always tenderly draws me near in love. I desire a wholly repentant heart so that I will never experience His righteous wrath.

  3. Sheri’s comment reminded me of a recent thought. There are something like 8 billion people alive today, and perhaps 100 billion have ever lived throughout history (estimate). How many times have you sinned in your lifetime? For me, it feels like my own hideous accumulation must be absurdly high, like thousands of times. 100 billion people times thousands of sins per person equals as many as hundreds of trillions of sins total. Depending on your theology, Christ either took all sins ever committed upon Himself on the cross, or just the sins of the Elect. Either way, that’s a LOT of sins! Oh the riches of God’s grace. While we were yet sinners, when He counted all the sins we would ever commit, before we were even born, Christ died for us. He said, “Yes, I will die for this person, and that person, and that person… I love them all.”