Tag: God’s kindness

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Titus Devotionals

Because God showed his love and kindness to us

But when the kindness of God our Savior and his love for mankind appeared, he saved us—not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy—through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-5)

“His love for mankind.”

That phrase stuck out to me because in some English translations, it’s just translated “his love.”

But the Greek word there actually refers to a specific love for mankind and is where we get our word “philanthropy” from.

It also struck me because of other things Paul said in this chapter.

Remind them…to be ready for every good work. (Titus 3:1)

I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone. (8)

Let our people learn to devote themselves to good works for pressing needs, so that they will not be unfruitful. (14)

Why do we do these things? Because God first showed his love and kindness to us.

And so just as he loved us, not just in word but in deed, we are to love others by our deeds as well.

The question God was asking me this morning was, “Do you love the people around you as much as I do?”

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2 Kings Devotionals

“Forgetting God’s kindness to us,” revisited

Then Jehoahaz sought the Lord’s favor, and the Lord heard him, for he saw the oppression the king of Aram inflicted on Israel.

Therefore, the Lord gave Israel a deliverer, and they escaped from the power of the Arameans. Then the people of Israel returned to their former way of life, but they didn’t turn away from the sins that the house of Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit.

Jehoahaz continued them, and the Asherah pole also remained standing in Samaria. (2 Kings 13:4-6)

God’s grace is pretty amazing.

Despite the fact that Jehoahaz and the Israelites had turned their back on him, when Jeohoahaz cried out to God, God graciously helped them, delivering Israel from the Arameans.

But after life returned to normal, they showed no gratitude for God’s kindness to them.

Instead they just returned back to their sin, living their own way.

How often do we get into trouble because of our sin, cry out to God for help, and in his grace he delivers us?

And how often do we soon forget the kindness God showed us and put him to the side, living our own way?

Let us not forget God when life is going well, taking his kindness and love toward us for granted.

As Paul wrote,

…do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? (Romans 2:4)

Categories
2 Kings Devotionals

Forgetting God’s kindness to us

One interesting difference between Kings and Chronicles is that the author of Kings often skips over the negative aspects of some of the kings of Judah.

We saw that with Asa in 1 Kings 15.

We also see it in this chapter.

But as with Asa, we see the author of Kings hinting that not all was as well as it seemed.

The writer notes,

Throughout the time the priest Jehoiada instructed him, Joash did what was right in the Lord’s sight. (2 Kings 12:2)

Which makes one think, “What happened after Jehoiada stopped instructing Joash?”

Sadly, according to 2 Chronicles 24, after Jehoiada died, Joash turned from the Lord and started worshiping idols. And when Zechariah, Jehoiada’s son, warned him and urged him to repent,

King Joash didn’t remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him, but killed his son. (2 Chronicles 24:22)

But it wasn’t just Jehoiada’s kindness that Joash had forgotten.

Joash had forgotten the Lord’s kindness to him as well.

The Lord had saved him from being killed by his grandmother Athaliah, after all.

So my prayer this morning was this:

Father, let me never forget the kindness you’ve shown me like Joash did. Because if I ever do that, it would be so easy to fall away from you.

And Father, I don’t want to ever fall away from you.