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daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
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Thursday,
January 21,
2021
A winter scene in Wisconsin
(Photo by Stephen's cousin Georgia)
"The Patience
Of God"
Message summary: How much
attention is our modern culture paying to the
warnings of God? What about much of the church? What
about us today? When it comes to spiritual warnings,
let us have the same response as young Samuel, who
exclaimed, "Speak, for your servant is
listening" (1 Samuel 3:10).
Listen
to this message on your audio player.
“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). “However, You bore with them for many years, and admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands” (Nehemiah 9:30). “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Phillips
Brooks is best known today as the author of "O
Little Town Of Bethlehem". He was known for his
poise and quiet manner. At times, however, he
suffered moments of frustration and irritability, as
do we all (or at least most of us!).
One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the floor like a caged lion. "What’s the trouble, Mr. Brooks?" he asked. Brooks replied, "The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!" Haven’t we felt the same way many times? I sure have! Here’s an interesting thought to muse; how often are we impatient with God?
On the other hand today we want to consider God’s patience toward us. We observe God’s patience on both the small and large scale, from our individual lives to His dealings with the nations.
God’s patience is so often a blessing but at times it’s also a mystery. Today we consider the mysterious aspect of His patience. As we observe the increasingly frayed moral and spiritual condition of America and throughout the world we marvel at God’s patience and wonder just how long before He pronounces judgment. Of course we now live with the consequences of sin and disobedience which is a part of God’s judgment.
Our daily verse describes the patience of God in regard to His dealings with the nation of Israel; "You bore with them for many years". This describes the period prior to the Babylonian Captivity. Many years were actually many centuries. God had spoken again and again through His prophets all through this time period. The NIV states, "For many years you were patient with them".
Nehemiah
served the Lord around 450 BC after the captivity
when the people had returned to settle in Israel. In
chapter 9 of his short book we have a sweeping
panorama of the previous thousand years since the
great Exodus. God had been patient and had warned
His people repeatedly. They paid no attention and
faced various judgments, resulting in the Babylonian
captivity which ended about 100 years before this
verse was recorded.
“However, You bore with them for many years, and admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.” Consider the timeless truth in this verse as it relates to your life, the church, or your nation. Without question we can all conclude that God is patient and enduring. Surely He has been gracious in sending many, many prophets who, like Phillips Brooks, were "preachers of the Word of God", commissioned to admonish and warn. I’m particularly intrigued with the phrase, “yet they would not give ear”. The NIV states, “yet they paid no attention". It’s a glimpse not just of the past but also the time period in which we live.
The King James Version uses the word "longsuffering" to describe God’s patience which is also listed in the nine fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22,23. Romans 2:4 asks the human race, "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?”
How much attention is our modern culture paying to the warnings of God? What about much of the church? What about us today? When it comes to spiritual warnings, let us have the same response as young Samuel, who exclaimed, "Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Listen
to this message on your audio player.“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). “However, You bore with them for many years, and admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands” (Nehemiah 9:30). “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Phillips
Brooks is best known today as the author of "O
Little Town Of Bethlehem". He was known for his
poise and quiet manner. At times, however, he
suffered moments of frustration and irritability, as
do we all (or at least most of us!).One day a friend saw him feverishly pacing the floor like a caged lion. "What’s the trouble, Mr. Brooks?" he asked. Brooks replied, "The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!" Haven’t we felt the same way many times? I sure have! Here’s an interesting thought to muse; how often are we impatient with God?
On the other hand today we want to consider God’s patience toward us. We observe God’s patience on both the small and large scale, from our individual lives to His dealings with the nations.
God’s patience is so often a blessing but at times it’s also a mystery. Today we consider the mysterious aspect of His patience. As we observe the increasingly frayed moral and spiritual condition of America and throughout the world we marvel at God’s patience and wonder just how long before He pronounces judgment. Of course we now live with the consequences of sin and disobedience which is a part of God’s judgment.
Our daily verse describes the patience of God in regard to His dealings with the nation of Israel; "You bore with them for many years". This describes the period prior to the Babylonian Captivity. Many years were actually many centuries. God had spoken again and again through His prophets all through this time period. The NIV states, "For many years you were patient with them".
Nehemiah
served the Lord around 450 BC after the captivity
when the people had returned to settle in Israel. In
chapter 9 of his short book we have a sweeping
panorama of the previous thousand years since the
great Exodus. God had been patient and had warned
His people repeatedly. They paid no attention and
faced various judgments, resulting in the Babylonian
captivity which ended about 100 years before this
verse was recorded.“However, You bore with them for many years, and admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets, yet they would not give ear. Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.” Consider the timeless truth in this verse as it relates to your life, the church, or your nation. Without question we can all conclude that God is patient and enduring. Surely He has been gracious in sending many, many prophets who, like Phillips Brooks, were "preachers of the Word of God", commissioned to admonish and warn. I’m particularly intrigued with the phrase, “yet they would not give ear”. The NIV states, “yet they paid no attention". It’s a glimpse not just of the past but also the time period in which we live.
The King James Version uses the word "longsuffering" to describe God’s patience which is also listed in the nine fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22,23. Romans 2:4 asks the human race, "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?”
How much attention is our modern culture paying to the warnings of God? What about much of the church? What about us today? When it comes to spiritual warnings, let us have the same response as young Samuel, who exclaimed, "Speak, for your servant is listening" (1 Samuel 3:10).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, Your patience and
longsuffering toward a rebellious, hardhearted
people is only possible because of Your loving
compassion and tender mercies. You are slow to anger
and abounding in love, full of forgiveness and
healing. We are the undeserving recipients of Your
remarkable redemption made available to all who call
upon Your name. Thank You for bearing with us and
loving us long before we respond to Your love. Help
us to look intently into Your Holy Word and apply
its teaching so that we enjoy freedom from sin,
unceasing joy, and the promise of eternity spent
with You. With sincerity of heart we praise You and
thank You for Jesus in whose name we pray. Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"His Mercy Is More" Video
Praise the Lord
His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness
New every morn’
Our sins they are many,
His mercy is more!
His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness
New every morn’
Our sins they are many,
His mercy is more!
"Kindness" Video Chris
Tomlin/Passion
It's
Your kindness Lord
That leads us to repentance
Your favor, Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty, Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love
Is better than life
That leads us to repentance
Your favor, Lord, is our desire
It's Your beauty, Lord
That makes us stand in silence
Your love
Your love
Is better than life
Harry Reeder in an article titled
"The Patience of God"
writes, "A second display of God’s patience
is His patience with the world and its
rebellion against Him. This patience is
described in the book of Romans: “Or do you
think lightly of the riches of His kindness
and forbearance and patience, not knowing
that the kindness of God leads you to
repentance? But because of your stubbornness
and unrepentant heart you are storing up
wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
(Romans 2:4–5).
In the exercise of His common grace, God displays patience and forbearance with the world. But patience and forbearance ought to lead men and women to repentance. Instead, it emboldens the unbeliever in his sinful rebellion and mocking of God, and the patience of God is then turned into a rationale to rebel further against God. This does nothing more than store up greater judgment because of their ungodly response to His kind patience."
In the exercise of His common grace, God displays patience and forbearance with the world. But patience and forbearance ought to lead men and women to repentance. Instead, it emboldens the unbeliever in his sinful rebellion and mocking of God, and the patience of God is then turned into a rationale to rebel further against God. This does nothing more than store up greater judgment because of their ungodly response to His kind patience."
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a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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