Receiving The Riches of His Goodness
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THE RICHES OF HIS GOODNESS
The riches of His goodness - Romans 2 : 4
MOST people reckon their riches in terms of the American DOLLAR or some other national monetary unit ; and in most countries there have been three metals of coinage - copper, silver, gold. We scarcely ever see gold coinage in circulation today, but the older among us can remember when it was common currency. There is an interesting parallel between those coinage-metals, copper, silver, gold, and the "riches" of God towards mankind, as revealed in Holy Bible.
First , we read about the " riches of His goodness". Romans 2 : 4 , asks, " Despisest thou the riches of His goodness . . . ? These "riches of His goodness " are, so to speak, the copper coinage of the divine treasury. The goodness of God is no new idea. It is as old as the rainbow and the seasons of the year. When the Anglo-Saxon ancestors of the English-speaking peoples wanted a name for the Supreme Being, they called Him " God" . their word for good.
The " riches " of His goodness " all of us enjoy. God is good to all His creatures without partiality or favouritism. He is no of persons, except that He respects us all alike. "He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." The psalmist had every reason to exclaim, " Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness." And all of us , if we have seeing eyes, can say, " Goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. "
There is no meagreness in God's goodness.
Romans 2 : 4 calls it " The riches of His goodness " .
1 Timothy 6 : 17 says, " The living God giveth us richly all things to enjoy. "
And James 1 :5 echoes , " God giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ."
The vast majority of us have good reason to be thanking God all the time for food and clothing, friends and loved ones, home and shelter, sunshine and rain, singing birds and lovely flowers, sympathetic trees and restful green countryside ; health of mind and body, use of limb and muscle, eyesight and hearing, individual liberty and many social comforts, like Facebook, twitter, blogsites , etcs.
But " The riches of His goodness " are most meaningful of all in their spiritual intention. Read Romans 2:4 in full verse : " Despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering ; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? ". What influence is so likely to make us repent of wrong which we have done to some person, than that person's heart-melting retaliation of kindness in return?
Even so, the munificent, undeserved, continuous goodness of God is meant to beget within us a turning away from evil , to uprightness and godliness. " He hath not dealt with us after our sins ; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities " - Psalm 103 : 10.
Oh, to repent at His goodness, rather than at last tremble before His righteous wrath !
How oft have my footsteps
To ruin drawn near,
In quicksands deceiving
By precipice sheer !
Yet there, in the shadows,
My Watcher has cared ;
My poor soul has been rescued,
My life has been spared.
The riches of His goodness - Romans 2 : 4
MOST people reckon their riches in terms of the American DOLLAR or some other national monetary unit ; and in most countries there have been three metals of coinage - copper, silver, gold. We scarcely ever see gold coinage in circulation today, but the older among us can remember when it was common currency. There is an interesting parallel between those coinage-metals, copper, silver, gold, and the "riches" of God towards mankind, as revealed in Holy Bible.
First , we read about the " riches of His goodness". Romans 2 : 4 , asks, " Despisest thou the riches of His goodness . . . ? These "riches of His goodness " are, so to speak, the copper coinage of the divine treasury. The goodness of God is no new idea. It is as old as the rainbow and the seasons of the year. When the Anglo-Saxon ancestors of the English-speaking peoples wanted a name for the Supreme Being, they called Him " God" . their word for good.
The " riches " of His goodness " all of us enjoy. God is good to all His creatures without partiality or favouritism. He is no of persons, except that He respects us all alike. "He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." The psalmist had every reason to exclaim, " Thou crownest the year with Thy goodness." And all of us , if we have seeing eyes, can say, " Goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life. "
There is no meagreness in God's goodness.
Romans 2 : 4 calls it " The riches of His goodness " .
1 Timothy 6 : 17 says, " The living God giveth us richly all things to enjoy. "
And James 1 :5 echoes , " God giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not ."
The vast majority of us have good reason to be thanking God all the time for food and clothing, friends and loved ones, home and shelter, sunshine and rain, singing birds and lovely flowers, sympathetic trees and restful green countryside ; health of mind and body, use of limb and muscle, eyesight and hearing, individual liberty and many social comforts, like Facebook, twitter, blogsites , etcs.
But " The riches of His goodness " are most meaningful of all in their spiritual intention. Read Romans 2:4 in full verse : " Despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering ; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? ". What influence is so likely to make us repent of wrong which we have done to some person, than that person's heart-melting retaliation of kindness in return?
Even so, the munificent, undeserved, continuous goodness of God is meant to beget within us a turning away from evil , to uprightness and godliness. " He hath not dealt with us after our sins ; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities " - Psalm 103 : 10.
Oh, to repent at His goodness, rather than at last tremble before His righteous wrath !
How oft have my footsteps
To ruin drawn near,
In quicksands deceiving
By precipice sheer !
Yet there, in the shadows,
My Watcher has cared ;
My poor soul has been rescued,
My life has been spared.
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