This day has been a little everywhere, it seems. Father, I would ask that You bring my mind into order. Use me to communicate what You need to communicate. Amen.
1 Corinthians 15:12-28 (<<click here to read the passage)
We’ve not had syndicated news for quite a while now, and really, I don’t miss it. For some time, I had a couple of news-oriented network sites on the opening page of my search engine. But I grew tired of those, and now…I don’t. Recently, I have listened – some – to a local news radio station, but with clashing political stands, the abortion debate, the war between Israel and Hamas, the battle involving LGBTQ individuals, and on and on and on…I am worn out and frustrated to the max!
Yesterday, as I was inundated with all these things and the innumerable opinions on these issues, it got me thinking, why hasn’t God just thrown His hands up and bellowed throughout the cosmos, “ENOUGH! I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! THAT. IS. IT! I AM SOOOO DONE WITH YOU ALL!”
…but He hasn’t…
He could, at any given moment…but He hasn’t.
One of my favorite Biblically oriented words is long-suffering, and God is the epitome of long-suffering. One online source states,
In the Bible, long-suffering is a word that combines two Greek words: macro, meaning “long or slow,” and thumia, meaning “anger.” It literally means to be long-tempered, or to be patient and enduring, even when facing suffering, challenges, or the shortcomings of others. A long-suffering person is someone who is not quick to take retaliation or to punish.
Another source adds, “A person who is long-suffering is someone who shows restraint when stirred to anger.”
As I said, God is the epitome of long-suffering. He is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9b AMP
My Life Application Study Bible goes on to say,
World events may seem out of control, and justice may seem to have vanished. But God is in control, allowing evil to remain for a time until he sends Jesus to earth again. Then he will present to God a perfect new world.
God is sovereign. God is just. And that is the final task of Jesus: He will, in the end (or at the new beginning?), defeat evil as He has sin, death, and Satan. All will succumb to His glory and might.
Philippians 2:9-11 has this to say about Jesus and the world’s response to Him in the end.
For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father. AMP
Feb 29th, 2024, Thurs, 6:06 pm
