Father, I am grateful that progress was made in preparation for our Sunday service but mentally and emotionally this has been a very taxing day. May I keep in mind, Father, that “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

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I am just going to leap from there…

I don’t know about you, but I am so, so weary of all that is going on right now, in our country in particular. And Lord, I also acknowledge that You see all these things and much more. You don’t just see the obvious, visible elements of the evil and wickedness that we are dealing with…You see into the hearts of minds of it all!

Hebrews 4:13 tells us,

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. (NLT)

There is so little compassion for one another. There is so little grace…and mercy…and most importantly love for one another. There is so little patience, there is so little long-suffering. But one thing there is in great supply – we are abundantly stocked with hatred. There is absolutely no shortage of selfishness.

I…beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV)

Christian! You who call yourselves by this title! Where are you? Where are the tell-tell signs of your faith? …lowliness…gentleness…longsuffering…love…unity…peace.

It’s hard enough to take from those who do not believe. But my heart is crushed when those who claim fellowship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, show these attributes in such limited amounts.

And why is that the case? Don’t we have an unlimited supply by which we can fill our parched and weary souls?

When God passed before Moses, He said of Himself,

“The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth… Exodus 34:6 (NKJV)

Elsewhere the Bible states,

But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,
Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth. Psalm 86:15 (NKJV)

Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Romans 2:4 (NKJV)

I tend to use more modern translations when I study and write but one word sticks out to me here – longsuffering. Others translate it slow to anger or patience, they are good words, too, but looooong…suf..fer…ing. Doesn’t that say so much more?

We tire of suffering. We despise suffering. We avoid it with all the effort and energy we can muster! But God? He…is longsuffering…

May we seek to be like Christ – no matter what anyone says or does.

“For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12 (NLT)

Meditate upon the words of the old hymn, O to Be Like Thee

O to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wand’ring sinners to find.

O to be like Thee! O to be like Thee!
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer, others to save.

June 11th, 2020, Thurs, 9:00 pm