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 3:9
Some of us get uncomfortable when we read about God wiping out groups of people who have sinned. Yet what astounds me is that there are so many groups God never wipes out. It amazes me that God hasn’t wiped me out, because every one of us deserves His judgment.
But more often, God withholds His judgment. And Peter tells us why. God doesn’t want any to perish. He wants all to repent and come to the knowledge of the Truth. God is holding back His righteous anger against sin. He withholds judgment—not forever, but for now.
God calls us to endure, to suffer long in that way, to love like it says in 1 Corinthians 13. So, in the big things of life and in the little everyday things, God says, “Love as I have loved you with a love that is patient, a love that is long-suffering.” This is the love of Christ.
Make it Personal
Do you have this kind of love? How can you develop a patient and long-suffering love for the people in your life?