Daily Devotion for March 28 - Romans 2:4

Verse

Romans 2:4 – “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

Meditation

God’s kindness is not a sign of His indifference to sin, but an invitation to repentance. His patience and mercy are not given so that we might continue in sin without consequence, but so that we may turn from sin and receive His grace. The sinner who mistakes God’s forbearance for approval deceives himself. True repentance does not come from fear alone, but from recognizing the depth of God’s goodness. When we see how merciful He has been, despite our failures, our hearts are softened. His kindness is not weakness; it is the very means by which He calls us to return to Him. To persist in sin while ignoring His mercy is to squander the riches of His grace. But to respond with repentance is to embrace the purpose of His loving patience.

Old Testament

Joel 2:13 – “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

The prophet Joel proclaims the same truth: God's mercy is not an excuse for rebellion but an invitation to return to Him. His patience is a gift, urging us toward repentance before the day of judgment comes.

Collect

O Lord, whose kindness and mercy call us to repentance, grant us contrite hearts that we may not take Your patience for granted, but turn to You in true faith, that we may walk in the riches of Your grace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn Verse

"To Thee, omniscient Lord of all,
With grief and shame I humbly call;
I see my sins against Thee, Lord,
The sins of thought, of deed, and word."
— To Thee, Omniscient Lord of All – LSB 613:1