Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance. —Romans 2:4
Repentance does not mean making a slight change in course. It is a 180-degree turn. You cannot turn away from something without turning toward something. God never delivers you “from” without also delivering you “to” something.
He delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage to the Promised Land. When we repent, we turn away from our former ways, as we turn to live for God.
He delivers you from deception to truth-.-.-.-from despair to hope-.-.-.-from disease to health-.-.-.-from brokenness to wholeness-.-.-.-from hell to heaven.
Imagine that God set before you a dish of dog food and a T-bone steak, pointed to the dog food and said, “That is what you have been eating.” Then he points to the steak and says, “This is what you can have. The choice is yours.” God will never deliver you from something good to something bad. He is a God of increase, not decrease. When He delivers you, you will always take a turn for the better! It is His goodness that leads us to repentance.
Jesus, how I cherish Your deliverance. I repent and
turn away from all that is bad and embrace
all the good that You are. Amen.
