I NEED PATIENCE NOW!!!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord
a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a
day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some
understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting
anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
(2 Peter 3:8-9)

MEDITATION:
Are you an impatient person? Does it upset you when things
aren’t happening as fast as you think they should? What are
your expectations when someone promises to meet you at a
a specific time and place? If they are running late, how much
does it bother you?

How about those times when you are praying for others? How
much time should you allow for God to answer your prayers?
If, in a short time frame you don’t see any changes in the life
of someone you have been praying for, do you give up and quit
praying for them?

What if you are going through a tough time? Would you want
others to pray a limited time for you? Or would you want them
to continue praying until you get relief?

What if God was as impatient as you? If that were the case,
would it mean that you only have a short window to profess
your belief in Jesus and receive salvation? If you felt the urge
to surrender your life to Him and didn’t, would you think you
missed your opportunity and were now destined for an eternity
in hell?

The Bible is filled with promises, so how much time should
we allow for those promises to be fulfilled? It isn’t left up
to us, is it? God is the only One who determines when His
promises will be fulfilled; His promises are on His timetable,
and not ours.

When we hear a pastor or missionary making precise
predictions about when Jesus will return, it is probably
a good idea to stop listening to them. Certainly, we need
to hear that Jesus WILL return, and the scriptures give
give some signs that will indicate His return is near, but
predictions are inappropriate when talking about God’s
timetable for His plans.

It’s good for us to remember that what seems ‘just around
the corner’ to us, may actually be a long time away for God.
And, what we think is far away, could be at our doorstep.

When we compare the things we read in the bible, to the things
we see happening in our world, we can be sure that the signs we
have been given in scripture, are unfolding right before our eyes.

As an example, look at the instability of our world in recent years.
Here are some headline topics as recent as November, 2018 (and we
have seen even worse since then, including blasphemous activities
which openly defy God’s laws for mankind):
    – Michael Cohen pleads guilty
        to lying to the Senate about a Trump-Russia deal.
    – Trump cancels G-20 meeting with Putin,
        citing the Ukrainian conflict as the reason.
    – World leaders gather for G-20 summit is
        overshadowed by trade tensions and more.
    – Republican Senator. Tim Scott joins Democrats
        to block controversial judicial nominee.
    – Facebook COO reportedly told his staff to research
        George Soros after his speech criticizing social media.
    – U.S. life expectancy drops, and suicide rates rise.
    – Hate crimes are rising in Canada.
    – Crews complete search for Northern California fire victims.
    – Back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.0 and 5.8 rocked
        buildings and buckled roads in Anchorage, prompting the
        people to run from their offices or take cover under desks,
        and triggering a warning to residents in Kodiak to flee to
        higher ground for fear of a tsunami.
    – The Netherlands is witnessing an outbreak of pneumonia cases
        in children, days after China reported a similar uptake in cases,
        which is raising concern around the world.

In addition to these types of headlines just listed, we have seen:
    – Crime is on the rise and criminals are no longer hiding their
        crimes but are blatantly committing them with no fear of any
        consequences. Criminals have organized into groups so they
        can overwhelm businesses by robbing them in broad daylight.
    – Instead of being supported and encouraged, the stabilizing
        law enforcement is being ‘handcuffed’ by the public as they
        react to the how the actions of a few officers resulted in the
        death of some perpetrators. Some people even want to defund
        law enforcement which would allow criminal activity to be
        widespread with no restraints.
            How have some reacted to these deaths? They have
            damaged and destroyed properties and businesses
            of people who had nothing to do with the deaths.
            Thieves are also using these riots to loot businesses,
            including the ones of owners who are sympathetic
            to the protests.
    – Unimaginable pandemics have impacted the entire world
        resulting in the deaths of many and isolating people from
        public gatherings, including church attendance.
    – We have seen an increase in flooding, including tsunamis
        which decimated areas and caused the deaths of many.
        God destroyed civilization with a flood during the days
        of Noah; although He promised the world would never
        be destroyed by flooding again, could He be reminding
        us of the prior destruction as a warning that Jesus will
        be returning soon?

Are these things a sign to mankind that the return of Jesus will
be in the near future? We don’t know when He will return, and
we may have this question:
    “What is God’s timetable for the fulfillment of His promises?”

It’s a question that no one is qualified to answer. All we know
is that God’s definition of time is totally different from ours.
What may seem like a thousand years to us, could be just a day
to God. Conversely, what seems like a day to us, may be as much
as a thousand years to Him.

When we realize that our concept of time is much different than
God’s, we may wonder,
    “How can mankind benefit from what
      might be considered God’s slow plans?”
The scriptures give us a clear understanding of the reason God’s
timetable is much different than our expectations.

To us, God may seem slow in keeping His promises and answering
our prayers, but we should be grateful that the perceived slowness
of God means He is patient with us. The truth is, God doesn’t want
anyone to perish. He wants everyone to receive the salvation He has
freely offered, however, the clock for His plans continues to tick.

God should not be perceived as One who is ready to ‘zap’ us when
we mess up. If we have that perception of Him, then we are missing
out on appreciating His most important characteristic – love. We all
have a desire to be loved, don’t we? Even the vilest person has an
inner desire for love. The good news is, God loves us despite our
failures.

It doesn’t mean we won’t receive His discipline whenever we sin,
but it doesn’t stop the love He has for His creations. It is the same
for parents, isn’t it? We may not like punishing our children, but
if we love them, we know it is necessary at times; it’s not meant to
harm them, or cast aside our love for them, but it is to help them.

God wants everyone to be with Him whenever we step into eternity.
That shows how much He truly loves us (each and every person) and
how He is patient with us. Would we be any different if we wanted
to give something good to someone we loved? Wouldn’t we be patient
with them? We would want to see joy on their face when they receive
our gift, right?

Many people are questioning when the end of the world will come.
But the reality is, God is the One who controls the clock of destiny
and His omnipotent hand will work out His unchangeable plans
according to His purposes.

God is the One who has set a predetermined time for the return of
Jesus Christ, and He has factored in enough time for each person
to receive His redemptive gift of salvation. If anyone misses out, 
it is their fault, and not God’s. God does not reject mankind; what
might seem like His rejection is actually the consequences of the
choice we have made to reject Jesus, and God’s offer of salvation.

ACTION:
Have you received God’s gift of salvation? How do you know?
Do you obey His commands, or do you treat them as a kind of
smorgasbord, where you can choose to obey only the ones you
like, the ones that are easy, and the ones that fit your lifestyle?

Do you consider God to be a watchdog who wants to ‘zap’ you
whenever you mess up, or do you consider Him to be the One
who created you and loves you very much? If you haven’t been
redeemed by God, why wouldn’t you take advantage of the
patience He has had with mankind thus far, and make your
decision to accept His free and loving gift of eternal life now?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love and concern
for me. Thank You for being patient with me and everyone
else, and for Your desire that not one of us should perish.
Help me to accept and adjust to Your timetable for everything,
including the return of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for
Your gift of salvation; teach me to always be willing to share
Your message with others until the day I am with You in eternity.”

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