God is patient and longsuffering. As God who is omnipotent and almighty He does not need to endure pains or the folly of men, but He chooses to do so because of His loving character. Kings of earth can easily pass unpleasant tasks to their many servants. It seems the more power or authority one possesses the less patient he or she needs to be, but God expresses the exact opposite.
Consider the gracious love which prompted God not only to bring the nation of Israel out of Egypt but to endure them in the wilderness after they rebelled against Him. Paul said in Acts 13:17-18, "The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. 18 Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness." And what were the ways of the sons of Israel? Let's see: murmuring, complaining, disobedience, idolatry, rebellion, falsely accusing God of wanting to kill them when He sought to save them, and much more.
Before we judge the Israelites harshly, we must recognise we are in no way superior. These folks were no worse sinners than we are! The takeaway from Paul's words should not be to nod approvingly in judgment of sinners but to rejoice in the gracious salvation of our God. We are no prize, yet God has reached out to us whilst mired in sin. He has long endured our ways and continues to entreat us kindly and provide for all our needs - even when we have been thankless and ungrateful. How great is the LORD and worthy to be praised!
Having received such grace and love from God, may we be moved to love one another. We are exhorted in Romans 13:8, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." Having been adopted, forgiven, reconciled, redeemed, and accepted by God's grace, we owe others a continual dose of the infinite love God has lavished upon us. No one is worthy of such love and grace, yet we have freely received it through faith in Jesus. God loves us when we were yet sinners, so clearly this love should not be restricted only to the redeemed or who we deem worthy. If people must be worthy, where then is grace? Let us be patient as our LORD is patient towards us.
There is an old saying: "Put your money where your mouth is." Basically, this infers if we believe something to be true, we should take action to back it up. "Put up or shut up," another line goes. The way God "put up" with His people conveyed the love He had for them. He did not merely tolerate them but He provided for their needs and guided them in the right way. He spoke with them, protected them, and ultimately sent Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of all who believe. If we are indeed children of God, it's time to love people we have been avoiding. It's time to pray for people who have ill-treated us. It's time to bless those who have cursed us. Let's show grace to others according to the grace we have received from God.
Consider the gracious love which prompted God not only to bring the nation of Israel out of Egypt but to endure them in the wilderness after they rebelled against Him. Paul said in Acts 13:17-18, "The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. 18 Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness." And what were the ways of the sons of Israel? Let's see: murmuring, complaining, disobedience, idolatry, rebellion, falsely accusing God of wanting to kill them when He sought to save them, and much more.
Before we judge the Israelites harshly, we must recognise we are in no way superior. These folks were no worse sinners than we are! The takeaway from Paul's words should not be to nod approvingly in judgment of sinners but to rejoice in the gracious salvation of our God. We are no prize, yet God has reached out to us whilst mired in sin. He has long endured our ways and continues to entreat us kindly and provide for all our needs - even when we have been thankless and ungrateful. How great is the LORD and worthy to be praised!
Having received such grace and love from God, may we be moved to love one another. We are exhorted in Romans 13:8, "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law." Having been adopted, forgiven, reconciled, redeemed, and accepted by God's grace, we owe others a continual dose of the infinite love God has lavished upon us. No one is worthy of such love and grace, yet we have freely received it through faith in Jesus. God loves us when we were yet sinners, so clearly this love should not be restricted only to the redeemed or who we deem worthy. If people must be worthy, where then is grace? Let us be patient as our LORD is patient towards us.
There is an old saying: "Put your money where your mouth is." Basically, this infers if we believe something to be true, we should take action to back it up. "Put up or shut up," another line goes. The way God "put up" with His people conveyed the love He had for them. He did not merely tolerate them but He provided for their needs and guided them in the right way. He spoke with them, protected them, and ultimately sent Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of all who believe. If we are indeed children of God, it's time to love people we have been avoiding. It's time to pray for people who have ill-treated us. It's time to bless those who have cursed us. Let's show grace to others according to the grace we have received from God.
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