Attributes of God - Patience

 God is enduring! I have been running again and I know that the more that I increase in my miles, the more endurance I am gaining. Whether it be hill work or just strength training, I need endurance to keep going. God - well God doesn't have to train, He just has ENDURANCE. Crazy to think about! He is long-suffering. We fail at that, for sure! We can handle for a while and then boom, out of no where, we lose patience. I know that for a fact with a 2 year old! There is so much to learn - that's for another post!

God knows that He is the only thing that will satisfy my longing heart. God is jealous for truth and righteousness! God is jealous for His own glory. I am learning that God is patient because God is sovereign. Exodus 34:6 says, "The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, "YAHWEH! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy! I AM slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness." Can we just take a minute and think about God passing by Moses?!?! Like what!?!

I remember when I became born again in 2017, I read that and just wept. I said to the Lord that I wanted a relationship like Moses and He did! I wanted to see Him, know Him, and feel Him. I want to know His feelings, His love, His desires, His anger... I want to know Him so that I will know how to intercede for others so that they don't have to go through what I did and TAKE the ESCAPE that the Lord says that they can take. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) - "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can endure." (PS I don't know why but I think the Lord is telling me to say, this doesn't mean that you can just follow through on the temptation and do it and then just take the escape next time. That is a lie. Take the escape now, and ask Him for His strength and boldness to stop whatever it is that you are doing. Philippians 4:13 - "YOU can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!")

There is that word ENDURE again. What does it mean, anyways? To last. To continue in the same state without perishing. To remain. To abide. To bear with patience. The waiting season is definitely a season of bearing with patience, for sure! I am learning that a lot of the lies that I have believed that God is, is proven to be wrong from His word. For the longest time, I thought that God was always mad at me. I can't even tell you when I picked up on that lie but it was almost all my life. Here culture wants me to think that God is angry because of sin, no, He is patient. All of His attributes pile on top of each other to display who He is. 

For the longest time, I watched movies that displayed love as romantic, sexy, lustful, you name it. So then I based my love life off of all that - because it is pushed in our faces everywhere! Ads, billboards, sitcoms, movies, games, etc. . . So we are immune to what love is - fake. THEN, I met God! His love is deep and compassionate, genuine, and peaceful. The world doesn't want you to experience that because then they won't keep you in its web of lies! I mean if you think about it - the world has us cranked up on caffeine, sports, TV, and do it all over again everyday - they don't know what patience is, stillness, waiting... no way! We can't even wait at a stop sign for the law abiding rule of 3 seconds! How sad is that!? Anyways, God is enduring - He is patient with us! He gives us ample time to turn from our wicked ways and come to Him. We put God in a box that He can't save us because we are too far gone or I've done way too much for Him to love... no that's God, that's who He is - total LOVE! 

Oh brother - let's get back to Moses and God. God declares to Moses who He is, right? He is "abounding in goodness and truth" (NKJV), this is important because in the Greek it describes Jesus. John 1:14 - "So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son." Parallel to this, even after the Israelites refused to obey and did not remember the miracles He did for them! Instead they became a stubborn people and went back to slavery. Um, okay, let's not do that. I don't know about you but being a slave to the banks, work, sports, and television was not satisfying - it caused me to be EMPTY, actually. Empty unto death. But GOD, right, so God reveals that He is a God of forgiveness, gracious and merciful. He is slow to anger, rich in unfailing love, and never abandoned them. (Nehemiah 9:17). Nor will He abandon us now - but let me tell you - He is wanting a repentant heart and for you to come back to Him. Romans 2:4 - Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord isn't really being slow about His promise, as some people think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 

Lord, I pray that whoever is reading this will feel a tug on their heart to turn to you today. I pray that they will invite you into their heart and believe that You died on the cross for their sin and they are now resurrected to born again because You were resurrected. Lord, thank you for this reader! Thank you that You divinely sent them here to read that you are patient with them and they can come back home to You, now. I ask that you would send a laborer to their life that will lead them in the right way that they should go and they wouldn't be afraid to ask and get involved in your word. For Your word says that you desire for all people to come to the knowledge and truth of you! May it be so today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Joyful Home Welcomes You! :)