The Longsuffering of God

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Beholding the evil and the good.

God’s grace and mercy are so far beyond description that they render our hearts in utter amazement. To think that the Lord would consider any of us for objects of His love is incomprehensible as we are so completely reprehensible in our depravity. We are worthy or deserving of any and all of the righteous judgment of God upon our sin.  

The great grace of God was brought to light this week as I read of the sparing of Noah and his family in a time that was said to be a time that “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). In the midst of such evil, “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). Even though the corruption was so very prevalent and the punishment from God was rightly promised, yet during the many years of building the ark (120 years); God would extend grace to the earth’s inhabitants in the time by Noah. Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” to his generation (2 Peter 2:5).

Make no mistake about it, just as sure as the promise of God to destroy the earth and its residents by means of a flood of water, so He will once again bring punishment upon people of the earth by a deluge of fire (2 Peter 3:3-7). The preaching of the gospel of grace will come to an end in due time, although God has patiently waited nearly 2000 years since His Son’s sacrifice  for mankind to accept His deliverance (2 Peter 3:9-10).

Therefore, as an unbeliever do not spurn the grace of God in putting off to another time trusting in the only Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no guarantee of tomorrow (Proverbs 27:1). Then, as those that are believers in Christ, stop living for yourself, loving the things of this passing world, and lagging in your witness (2 Peter 3:11-14).

2 Peter 3:18  But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.