“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us…” (Tit. 3:4-6); “The kindness of God leads you to repentance…” (Rom. 2:4); “As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Col. 3:12
Heavenly Father, thank you for being relentlessly kind, gentle, and patient with us. By your kindness, you exposed the depth of our need, and revealed Jesus as our singular hope. You saved us. Hallelujah, you saved us—not by anything we have done, but by what Jesus accomplished for us, once and for all.
We now live in a perpetual state of your kindness—your unwavering disposition of welcome, affection, and faithfulness. It’s unlike any other relationship we’ve ever known, and that’s why we still have our doubts, rounds, and bouts with unbelief.
So, on this January 6th 2022, we repent. First and foremost, we repent of not believing you love us as much as you say you do (Eph. 3:18-19). Continue to free us from under-believing the Gospel. Our unbelief robs you of glory, and people all around us pay the price of our unbelief.
Indeed, we repent of hoarding your grace, and not sharing it. You canceled our sin, not us. You don’t merely “put up with us,” you put us “in Christ.” You continue to use kindness (not harshness) to lead us to repentance. Where do we think our judging, carping, shaming, and blaming will lead others? Kind Father, help us discharge our grace-filled “debt of love” (Rom. 13:8). So Very Amen.
