“Welcome to church. May I take your order, please. Yes, I would like: one prayer, one song, one sermon. How would you like that? Short, sweet, hold the judgment. Do you want that supersized? Yes, the sweeter the better. Got it. We’ll have that out in 30 minutes.”
You laugh, but haven’t you noticed how preoccupied we are with fast: fast-food, fast divorce, and yes, even fast church—the quicker the better. Everything is measured in speed.
We don’t have much time with things in the slow lane. Consider the elderly lady—of the Silent Generation born between 1925 and 1945—who was taking too much time at the fast-food payment window, so thought the Gen-Z –born between1995 and 2012— in the car behind her. She went kaboom. She laid on her horn and rolled down her window and gave the elderly woman a few choice words. What did she do? She paid for the impatient woman’s meal and took the receipt. When she got to the window to pick up her order, she picked up the young lady’s order as well. Then she rolled down her window as she drove away and gave the "Generation Z - er" a wave and a smile.
Kaboom back at you. No matter your generation, impatience seldom pays off; a slow fuse does. God is a slow-fuse God because we are a slow-to-repent people. We need to practice patience—one of the nine qualities of the Fruit of the Spirt because it does the Body of Christ good. We’ll see in II Peter 3:9 and from two Old Testament men that God’s patience gives us opportunity to change and secondly, this patience is available to everyone—even the people we despise. Some people are “Kaboom” people when it comes to patience. Some are “Kool like that” people who are slow to anger, quick to forgive. Who are you?
First, patience does a body good because it is God’s way to give us time to change even if it means going through some tough times to receive His grace. Job changed his relationship with God so that it was stronger, but it required going through some tough times. He lost health, wealth and family to discover his relationship with God was based on self-righteousness. But he repented, changed. That is the purpose of God’s patience according to 2 Peter 3:9:
9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9
God did not “Kaboom” him. He forgave him and returned to him double all he lost. (Job 42:6,10)
Sometimes it takes a little trauma to reveal your true self and your relationship with God:
That bankruptcy can reveal self-reliance rather than a greater reliance on God.
That life-threatening biopsy can reveal spiritual neglect, a need for a spiritual check-up.
That untimely death of a close friend can open your eyes to the need for a closer walk with that friend that sticks closer than a brother—Christ.
The patience of God at work is to bring strength—strength that comes from waiting on God according to Psalms 27:14. God is not a “Kaboom” God, wishing that any shall perish. He is slow to judge, quick to forgive. God is giving time for grace. God is “cool like that”. Are you?
Patience also does a body good because it gives everyone the opportunity to change no matter the person—even the most despised. Jonah did not want to preach to Nineveh because he knew God’s patience would extend grace to his enemy. God did. 120,00 were saved. Jonah was upset with God’s patience.
…thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repents thee of the evil. Jonah 4:2
Would you rather see “Kaboom” or than God’s “cool-like-that” grace? You can’t stand blue states; blue states can’t tolerate reds? God’s patience is bipartisan. If Nineveh gets in, we all get in. Can’t stand blacks; black, whites? God’s patience is color blind. If Nineveh gets in, we are all in his rainbow. Can’t tolerate the intolerant? Sorry, God’s patience is wishful: “not wishing for any to perish.
Church, you can’t run from your call to be the church of all people. Be patient to every person, even at your own discomfort. Patience does all the body good. All means all.
Patience does a body good because it is God’s way to give us time to change, to repent. Job went through the loss of wealth, health, and family. But God’s patience gave him time to change his relationship with God from a weak one to a stronger one.
14"If a man dies, will he live [again]? All the days of my struggle I will wait until my change comes. Job 14:14
Second, patience does a body good because it gives everyone time to change no matter the person—even the most despised. Jonah had to learn the hard way that all are covered by the shade of His grace.
Some people are “Kaboom” people when it comes to patience. They explode. But there are some who are “Kool like that” people, like God, who’d rather see inclusion than explosion, who have no problem with the slow lane if it means we all get in, so we all can sing: Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, When we all get to heaven…we'll sing and shout the victory!
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