A MESSAGE OF PATIENCE

Patience is a quality that the Lord not only expects in His children, but also expects it to mature as we age (2 Peter 1:5-9).
Unfortunately, patience is something that I all too often struggle with. I do take comfort, however, in what is said later in Peter’s second epistle.

As we look at the beginning of the third chapter, the apostle is speaking to “Beloved” Christians who are having their faith tested by “scoffers” who are questioning the promise of Christ’s coming (vs. 1-4). He reminds the faithful of those who scoffed at Noah while he was building the ark, but he continued to do so patiently as God had instructed until it was completed (vs. 5-7; Genesis 6:22). Therefore, Peter was encouraging those Christians to stay the course in their belief in Christ’s return.

Additionally, they were reminded that God does things according to His own timeline, yet is always true to His word (vs.
8-9a). God does not and will not lie to us (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2). Thus, when He tells us something, it will come to pass at His appointed time.

We should be thankful to God for being so patient, because as long as He is mankind has the opportunity to hear the gospel and come to obedience to it, or to penitently return to Him, for He “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (vs. 9b).