Kindness and severity...

Over the last few weeks, I've been pondering this statement that is found in Paul's letter to the Romans. He speaks of God's kindness and severity when it comes to faith and trust.  Here's the passage (Romans 11:21-23):

For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.

So, God is looking for humans who will trust Him and, even if they are not of Jewish descent, they will be fully welcome and 'grafted in' to His family of faith. Those who reject and refuse to trust in Messiah Jesus lose their connection to God's family.

We're confronted, in this text, with both God's great kindness and His judgement. Can both be true at the same time?  Clearly, yes. We tend to like the kindness part but not so much the judgement or severity part, right? Yet, we need both to be true about God: that He will make right the wrongs and that His grace is sufficient in kindness toward us.  In fact, it is His kindness that first draws us to Him and then, by His grace, we are transformed into the holy people of faith in Messiah Jesus - slowly putting to death the deeds that hurt us.

So, may we prayerfully note both the kindness AND severity of our God and Father!