Reverent 

Mentor

Mankind

Thoughts

Fruitful

Ugly

Blessing to you in Christ,  Mark

A gracious person is “favorable, kind, benevolent, and disposed to forgive offenses and impart unmerited blessings” (Noah Webster 1828).  Whether received from God or man “gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body” (Proverbs 16:24).   Gracious words come from pure thoughts as Proverbs 15:26 indicates, “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but gracious words are pure.”  Therefore, from holiness and purity, almighty God speaks gracious words to rebellious sinners.   Listen to how God graciously calls out to the children of Israel through His prophet Joel:

The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it? “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD your God? Joel 2:11-14

The prophet Isaiah makes much of God’s graciousness when we but cry out to Him. If we feel far from God because of our sin, we should pay attention to this truth:

Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.  Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn from the right or to the left.  (Isaiah 30:18-21 NASB).

The Psalmists plead for God’s graciousness over and over again.  Psalm 4:1 is but one such example, “Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer” (see further:  Psalm 9:13-14, 25:15-18, 26:11, 27:7, 31:9, 41:4, 41:10, 56:1, 67:1, 86:3, 86:15, 119:58, and 119:132)!  Can you remember the times you have implored God for grace?  Do you need to appeal to His graciousness in a present life situation that you are encountering?  If so, call upon Him soon, because He is gracious.

God also wants us to be gracious.  Is there someone to whom you should be gracious today?  Surely their will be as Colossians 4:6 admonishes us, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”  God will graciously give you grace for every challenge of life as you call upon Him!

With Prayer, Mark            © January, 2012

Scripture quoted: ESV (except otherwise noted)
– Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Gracious

Exodus 33:19,  And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The LORD.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.”

Exodus 34:5-8,  The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.

Numbers 6:22-27,  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

2 Chronicles 30:6-9,  So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, “O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria.   Do not be like your fathers and your brothers, who were faithless to the LORD God of their fathers, so that he made them a desolation, as you see. Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.  For if you return to the LORD, your brothers and your children will find compassion with their captors and return to this land. For the LORD your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.”

Nehemiah 9:17,  [The Children of Israel] refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you [God] performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.

Psalm 9:13-14, Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation.

Psalm 25:15-18, My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net. Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.

Psalm 86:15,  But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

  Psalm 111

Praise the LORD!
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
Great are the works of the LORD,
studied by all who delight in them.
Full of splendor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;
the LORD is gracious and merciful.
He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers his covenant forever.
He has shown his people the power of his works,
in giving them the inheritance of the nations.
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his precepts are trustworthy;
they are established forever and ever,
to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
He sent redemption to his people;
he has commanded his covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is his name!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever!

1 Peter 2:18-21,  Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Deuteronomy 10:17-19 says, “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.”  What a comfort to know that God does not take bribes and that His judgment is not influenced by anyone’s position, class, or race!  His judgment is never clouded or misguided by partiality!  He is always just and righteous.  You may ask, “How can you be sure?”   I am sure because God’s word truly reveals who God is (see 2 Timothy 3:14-1.7).

The Old King James English translates the sinful attitude of partiality, which leads to sinful actions and judgments, as the “respect of persons”. Albert Barns give this good explanation:

The word thus rendered means “partiality,” in pronouncing judgment, in favoring one party or individual more than another, not because his cause is more just, but on account of something personal – on account of his wealth, or rank, or function, or influence, or by personal friendship, or by the fear of him. It has special reference to a judge who pronounces judgment between parties at law. The exercise of such partiality was strictly and often forbidden to the Jewish magistrates (Lev. 9:15; Deu.1:17; Pro.24:23; James 2:1, James 2:3, James 2:9). In his capacity as a Judge, it is applied often to God. It means that he will not be influenced in awarding the retributions of eternity, in actually pronouncing and executing sentence, by any partiality, or by regard to the wealth, function, rank, or appearance of people. He will judge righteous judgment; he will judge people as they ought to be judged; according to their character and deserts; and not contrary to their character, or by partiality.

How might this knowledge of God, as being impartial or having no respect of persons, affect your present relationship with Him?  Let’s explore three possibilities out of the many responses to such a question:

1) If you have a heritage of which you can be proud (ethnic, religious, etc.), it should be humbling to realize that it gains you nothing with God. You personally will stand before a righteous and impartial judge—an omnipresent and omniscient God!  This makes Paul’s statement in Philippians 3:4-11 most radical, because he had much of which to be proud:

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith–that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Have you come to the place that you can say the same thing about your heritage and have a like-minded focus on Christ?

2) If you have no heritage of which you can be proud, it should encourage you to know that you can be perfectly accepted in Christ to be all that God wants you to be. Take comfort and courage from Ephesians 1:11-14, “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

3) If you are given to partiality and respect of certain people in your judgment and treatment of others, you should stand rebuked by God’s example. Please take heed to James 2:1-7 and repent:

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Can you think of some more ways in which the impartiality of our Creator God can influence our relationship with the LORD as well as with our fellow sons and daughters of Adam.

With Prayer, Mark                             © January, 2012         Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Not Partial!  

2 Chronicles 19:4-7, Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, “Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.”

Act 10:34-35, So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

Romans 2:9-12, There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.

Galatians 2:3-9, But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in–who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery– to them we did not yield in submission even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality)–those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised  (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles), and when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

Ephesians 6:9,  Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

Colossians 3:23-25, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Verses for Our Meditation:  We should not be Partial!

Exodus 23:1-6, “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit. If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in his lawsuit.”

Leviticus 19:15,  “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”

Deuteronomy 1:16-17,  “And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God’s. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’”

Deuternonomy16:18-20,  “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 18:5, It is not good to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous of justice.

Proverbs 24:23-25, These also are sayings of the wise. Partiality in judging is not good. Whoever says to the wicked, “You are in the right,” will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations, but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight, and a good blessing will come upon them.

1 Timothy 5:21,  In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

What does it mean to be kind?  Noah Webster’s first dictionary defines kindness as follows: “disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants or assisting them in distress; having tenderness or goodness of nature.” How has God been kind?

God is certainly kind when he offers us forgiveness of sin and eternal life:

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7

The Psalmist magnifies God’s kindness in all of His works:

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. (The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.) Psalm 145:13
The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. Psalm 145:17-20

Furthermore, The Lord, speaking through the Prophet Hosea refers to His guidance of Israel as kindness, “I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them (Hosea 11:4).  Since God’s leading is a kindness, we can consider all the instruction of His Word, the Bible, a gift of kindness.  Interestingly, His kind instruction trains us to be kind as well, “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21).  Do you want the blessings of life, righteousness, and honor?  Then you must pursue righteousness and kindness. In that pursuit you will surely fail and come to realize as Paul teaches throughout the letter to the Romans that Salvation is only found in the gift of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.  When Christ rules in our heart through faith and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s grace in our lives will produce kindness toward others.  One of the fruit of the Spirit is kindness: “Galatians 5:22-23,  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Christ’s followers are also commanded to be kind: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).  By God’s grace we can be kind because our God is graciously kind!

Lastly, God’s grace is a kindness that we will be learning about for eternity: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7).

With Prayer, Mark

© January, 2012         Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Kind

Hosea 11:4, I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

Micah 6:8, He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Zechariah 7:8-10,  And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Romans 2:2-5, We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man–you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself–that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

Romans 11:20-23, That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again.

1 Corinthians 13:4, Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Galatians 5:22-23,  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 2:4-7, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 4:32, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Colossians 3:12-13,  Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

2 Timothy 2:24-26, And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

In the last devotional we meditated on the forbearance of God.  Now, we will consider a paralleling  attribute—His Patience! While forbearance refers primarily to God’s withholding of righteous wrath and judgment, God’s patience includes the attitude He keeps and the work He does while restraining His judgment. 

The Apostle Peter encourages believers to “count the patience of our Lord as salvation” (1 Peter 3:16).  Noah Webster lists one of the connotations of patience as “perseverance; constancy in labor or exertion.” God in patient perseverance and loving consistency has been working His plan to redeem mankind and justly deliver repentant individuals from the consequences of sin.  Therefore, God’s patience with us includes His plan of salvation for us by sending His Son into this world to complete His redemptive work on the cross.  Jesus was born to die upon Calvary! All this reveals God’s persevering patience with us.   

While sharing his own salvation testimony, Paul clearly says that in Jesus Christ we see the perfection of patience:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

How did Christ show His “perfect patience” toward Paul as an example to us who would believe in Christ for “eternal life”?   To answer this we must consider another connotation of the word patience: “the suffering of afflictions, pain, toil, calamity, provocation or other evil, with a calm, unruffled temper; endurance without murmuring or fretfulness.”   Certainly, Jesus demonstrated this kind of patience in the events that lead to the cross and in the very act of hanging on the cross in agonizing death.  However, the context of 1 Timothy 1:15-17 does not seem to point to Christ’s patient suffering on the cross.  Then to what does it point?  It must point to Christ’s patience with Paul when he persecuted His followers, even to death!  Jesus taught that how people treat His followers, those who bear His name, is in reality how they are treating Him (Matthew 25:31-46). When Paul consented to the death of Steven (Acts 8:1) he was in reality persecuting Christ.  Furthermore, by the grace and power of Christ, Steven patiently suffered as a testimony to His Savior, Jesus Christ who patiently suffered with Him in suffering.  It was after this that Jesus appeared to Paul on the Damascus road and displayed His patience with Paul as a testimony to all that there is forgiveness in Christ when we turn from our sin to Christ in repentance—a change of mind and heart about who we are and who Christ really is (Acts 9).  Paul called Him Lord and obeyed the instructions that were given to him.   Jesus Christ had been perfectly patient with him, when he did not deserve it. What an example to us! 

We have also sinned against God. I shamefully remember ridiculing Christians before I came to Christ in humility.  If God could forgive Paul, He can also forgive me in Jesus Christ.  How about you?  Have you felt that your sins are so bad that God would certainly never forgive you?  Then find comfort in Christ’s perfect example of patience with Paul.  God is not a respecter of persons and will certainly be patient with you as well.  God is love!  Out of His Love comes patience!  I Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient”.  

Will you worship the Lord with me today and praise Him for His patience and then go the next step and pray for His grace to be patient with others as you wait for His coming?  James 5:7 says, “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.”  Romans 12:12, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

With Prayer, Mark |                         

© December, 2011 Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Patient!

Romans 2:2-5, We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man–you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself–that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

1 Timothy 1:15-17,  The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Corinthians 13:4, Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

1 Peter 3:18-20, For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water.

2 Peter 3:4-9,  They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:13-15a, But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation.

James 5:7-11, Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Romans 12:10-21,  Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. Romans 2:2-5

Let’s focus on God’s forbearance. First of all, “What is forbearance”?  Webster’s 1828 dictionary says it is “the cessation or intermission of an act commenced, or a withholding from beginning an act.” Forbearance is a “command of temper” or a “restraint of passions.”  The Greek word anoche basically means, in reference to God, “restraint in judgment” (TDNT) or simply “a holding back” (ISBE).  God is withholding from us the judgment we deserve. Scripture clearly states that the “wages of sin is death.”  Death is what we deserve for our sin!  God’s forbearance, along with a host of His other attributes, moves and enables Him to withhold His judgment and provide a just forgiveness as a gift.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 5:8 reads, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”   Jesus Christ took our punishment upon himself. He was the substitute who took the wrath of God’s righteous judgment upon Himself.  God’s restraint provided the time for God’s redemptive plan to work out in human history as Romans 3:21-25 clearly explains:

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it– the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

God’s restraint can be seen over and over again throughout the redemptive history as revealed in the Bible. His withholding of immediate justice and judgment started with Adam and Eve and continued right to the crucifixion of Christ and then beyond into our present age. God gives each of us time to repent and trust Christ because of His “divine forbearance”.  Jesus Christ has not returned yet because of God’s forbearance. 2 Peter 3:9-10 says, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

Are you ready for His return?  God’s forbearance will someday come to an end!

With Prayer, Mark |

© December, 2011       Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Forbearing  

Romans 2:2-5, We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man–you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself–that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

Romans 3:21-25,  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it– the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Job 16:1-5,  Then Job answered and said: “I have heard many such things; miserable comforters are you all. Shall windy words have an end? Or what provokes you that you answer? I also could speak as you do, if you were in my place; I could join words together against you and shake my head at you. I could strengthen you with my mouth, and the solace of my lips would assuage your pain. “If I speak, my pain is not assuaged, and if I forbear, how much of it leaves me?

Jeremiah 15:11-15, The LORD said, “Have I not set you free for their good? Have I not pleaded for you before the enemy in the time of trouble and in the time of distress? Can one break iron, iron from the north, and bronze? “Your wealth and your treasures I will give as spoil, without price, for all your sins, throughout all your territory. I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.” O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach.

The Lord encouraged me this morning in my Bible reading from this powerful passage:

1 Peter 4:10-11,   As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:  whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies–in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Knowing God Devotionals on the Theme: God Is!

Devotional 1:  Seeking Idols or God in 2011

Devotional 2:  God Is!

Devotional 3:  God is Light!

Devotional 4:  God Is Beyond Us!

Devotional 5:  God Is Knowable!

Devotional 6:  God Is Near!

Devotional 7:  God Is Merciful!

Devotional 8:  God Is Holy!

Devotional 9:  God Is Perfect in Justice!

Devotional 10:  God is Righteous!

Devotional 11:  God is Judge!

Devotional 12:  God Is The Lawgiver!

Devotional 13:  God Is King!

Devotional 14:  God Is Sovereign!

Devotional 15:   God is Good!

Devotional 16: God is Faithful!

Devotional 17:  God Is True – part 1

Devotional 18: God is True – part 2

Devotional 19:  God is Wise!

Devotional 20: God is Powerful!

Devotional 21:  God is Spirit!

Devotional 22: God Is our Father!

Devotional 23: God is our Shield! I Know!

Devotional 24: God is Witness!

Devotional 25:  God Is Unchanging!

Devotional 26: God is One!

Devotional 27: God is Eternal!

Devotional 28:  God Is the Giver of Life!

Devotional 29:  God is the Creator!

Devotional 30:  God is our Guide!

Devotional 31: God is Our Shepherd

Devotional 32: God is Jealous

Devotional 33: God is Angry!

Most of the references in the Bible to God’s anger and wrath come in a context where the nation of Israel has been unfaithful to Yahweh—they had broken their covenant relationship with Him.  Scripture often refers to the fact that they “provoked the LORD to anger.” Judges 2:12 is such an example, “And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger.”  God’s anger over their spiritual adultery should not have surprised the children of Israel.  God had warned them numerous times.  Deuteronomy 6:14-15 says, “You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you–for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God–lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.”

About 9 times in the Bible we are reminded and comforted with the fact that God is “slow to anger”.  Exodus 34:5-7 is the first time:

 The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

The final time that the scriptures mention that God is slow to anger is in a context of God’s powerful and righteous judgment upon the wrongful acts of a nation:

The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry; he dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither; the bloom of Lebanon withers. The mountains quake before him; the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, the world and all who dwell in it. Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken into pieces by him (Nahum 1:2-6).

The knowledge that God will deal justly in anger and wrath with those who reject and turn from Him is sobering. However, it is amazing that He provides a way in mercy for us to come to him for forgiveness.  But it takes humility to do so on each individual’s part!  Have you heeded the instruction of Psalm 2:10-12?  “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”   Have you taken refuge in God’s Son, Jesus Christ who took upon Himself the wrath of God as your substitute?  The purpose of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross was made clear by the prophet Isaiah about 700 years before the fact.  I would encourage you to read and meditate on all of Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12.  I will quote verses 4 – 6, “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned–every one–to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”  Do these verses help you to understand John 3:16-18 better?  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”  What have you done with the Son, Jesus Christ?

With Prayer, Mark |

© November, 2011 Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Angry and Wrathful

Joshua 23:16,  Joshua speaking – “If you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”

2 Samuel 6:6-7, And when [David and all the house of Israel] came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.

1 Kings 16:12-13,  Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols.

2 Chronicles 29:6-10, King Hezekiah speaking – “For our fathers have been unfaithful and have done what was evil in the sight of the LORD our God. They have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD and turned their backs. They also shut the doors of the vestibule and put out the lamps and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the Holy Place to the God of Israel. Therefore the wrath of the LORD came on Judah and Jerusalem, and he has made them an object of horror, of astonishment, and of hissing, as you see with your own eyes. For behold, our fathers have fallen by the sword, and our sons and our daughters and our wives are in captivity for this. Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the LORD, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us.”

2 Chronicles 34:24-25, Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore my wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched.

Nehemiah 9:17, Group of Levites recounting the history of Israel – “They refused to obey and were not mindful of the wonders that you performed among them, but they stiffened their neck and appointed a leader to return to their slavery in Egypt. But you are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.”

Psalm 78:37-39, Asaph, contemplating the Israel relationship with God– “Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not faithful to his covenant. Yet he, being compassionate, atoned for their iniquity and did not destroy them; he restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath. He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and comes not again.”

Psalm 86:15, But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Psalm 103:8-13, The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.

Isaiah 13:9-13, Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.  Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.

Ezekiel 25:14-17, And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel, and they shall do in Edom according to my anger and according to my wrath, and they shall know my vengeance, declares the Lord GOD. “Thus says the Lord GOD: Because the Philistines acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of soul to destroy in never-ending enmity, therefore thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I will stretch out my hand against the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethites and destroy the rest of the seacoast. I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes. Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I lay my vengeance upon them.”

Joel 2:13, “Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.”

Jonah 3:9,  King of Nineveh “Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

Jonah 4:2, And [Jonah] prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.”

Micah 7:18-19, Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.

Revelation 14:10, He [the one who receives the mark of the beast] also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.

There are apparent contradictions in the Bible. Please note that I said, “apparent” contradictions.  The Bible never really contradicts itself, even though it may seem to do so because of our lack of understanding.  For instance, we find that God is jealous and also that jealousy is sin. This seems to contradict the Biblical teaching that God is perfect. Well, like we will see in a future devotional about God’s anger and wrath, what can exist in God in perfection is often sinful in man’s imperfection. Therefore, this is not a contradiction.  There is righteous jealousy and sinful jealousy.

The distinction between righteous jealousy and sinful jealousy is a matter of motive. What is the reason for one’s jealousy?  To be jealous of someone is sin (James 3:13-18), however, to be rightly jealous for someone is not (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). For example, if my wife is gifted in a certain way, I would be wrong  to be jealous of her for having that gift from God.  However, if my wife was being pursued by another man, I would be right to be jealous for her (Proverbs 6:32-35).

Noah Webster defines jealousy in this dual way:

That passion of peculiar uneasiness which arises from the fear that a rival may rob us of the affection of one whom we love, or the suspicion that he has already done it; or it is the uneasiness which arises from the fear that another does or will enjoy some advantage which we desire for ourselves (1828 Noah Webster Dictionary).

God is never jealous of us; He is jealous for us when we love something else before Him. The Old Testament gives us many examples where God is said to be jealous for the children of Israel.  They almost always refer to the fact that Israel had gone after other gods and had turned their back on the one true God.  Psalm 78:56-58 is a clear example, “Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God and did not keep his testimonies, but turned away and acted treacherously like their fathers; they twisted like a deceitful bow. For they provoked him to anger with their high places; they moved him to jealousy with their idols.”

God commanded Israel about this in Exodus 20:3-6 and in so doing revealed His righteous jealousy, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”

Our jealous God warned Israel about this in Exodus 34:12-15, “Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim  (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, and you take of their daughters for your sons, and their daughters whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.”

Are you comforted to know that God will go after you when you give your love and allegiance to another?   You should be!  Should we be jealous for others as God is?  Paul was, “For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2-3).  Does God have reason to be jealous for you today?  If so, will you not give Him your sincere and pure devotion?  He is worthy of our faithful loyalty and highest love!

With Prayer, Mark |

© October, 2011 Scripture quoted: ESV – Emphasis added

Verses for our meditation:  God Is Jealous

Numbers 25:10-11, And the LORD said to Moses, “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the people of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the people of Israel in my jealousy.

Deuteronomy 4:23-29 & Deuteronomy 5:7-10 (Please look these up!)

Deuteronomy 6:14-15,  You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you– for the LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God–lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

Deuteronomy 29:18-20, Beware lest there be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe whose heart is turning away today from the LORD our God to go and serve the gods of those nations. Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’ This will lead to the sweeping away of moist and dry alike. The LORD will not be willing to forgive him, but rather the anger of the LORD and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and the curses written in this book will settle upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven.

Deuteronomy 32:16, They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger.

Joshua 24:18-20, “And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.” But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.”

1 Kings 14:22,  And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done.

Proverbs 6:32-35, He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. He will get wounds and dishonor, and his disgrace will not be wiped away. For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge. He will accept no compensation; he will refuse though you multiply gifts.

Zechariah 8:1-2, And the word of the LORD of hosts came, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I am jealous for her with great wrath.”

1 Corinthians 10:21-23, You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

2 Corinthians 11:2-3, For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

James 3:13-18, Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.