patience of God

The Patience of God.

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“Go up against the land of Merathaim,
    and against the inhabitants of Pekod.
Kill, and devote them to destruction,
declares the Lord,
    and do all that I have commanded you.
The noise of battle is in the land,
    and great destruction!
How the hammer of the whole earth
    is cut down and broken!
How Babylon has become
    a horror among the nations!
I set a snare for you and you were taken, O Babylon,
    and you did not know it;
you were found and caught,
    because you opposed the Lord.
The Lord has opened his armory
    and brought out the weapons of his wrath,
for the Lord God of hosts has a work to do
    in the land of the Chaldeans.
Come against her from every quarter;
    open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain, and devote her to destruction;
    let nothing be left of her.
Kill all her bulls;
    let them go down to the slaughter.
Woe to them, for their day has come,
    the time of their punishment.

“A voice! They flee and escape from the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for his temple.” – Jeremiah 50:21-28 ESV

Babylon would play a major role in the affairs of the people of God, so, as a result, they have the honor of receiving a much longer oracle of judgment against them from God. In fact, in these verses, God refers to the nation of Babylon as Merathaim, which, in the Hebrew, means “double rebellion.” This may refer to the fact that they were idolatrous and, therefore, worshipers of false gods, rather than the one true God. But it most likely  includes the role they played in the destruction of Judah. The lands of Merathaim and Pekod were actual places within the dominion of Babylon, but God seems to use these places for the convenient wordplay their Hebrew names provide. Pekod, in the Hebrew, refers to “punishment,” It is as if God is saying that these two lands within the mighty empire of Babylon, are aptly named because they represent the cause and the outcome of the nation’s fall: Rebellion against God and punishment at the hands of God.

The nation that had once been “the mightiest hammer in all the earth lies broken and shattered” (Jeremiah 50:23 NLT). But this prophecy, while partially fulfilled when the Persians defeated the Babylonians, has a much more important fulfillment that will take place in the end times. The Babylonians were not completely annihilated by the Persians, but were simply defeated and then absorbed into the Persian Empire. Babylon remained a significant city within that empire for many years to come.

God provides two pieces of evidence or points of accusation against Babylon for their coming destruction. The first is “You are caught, for you have fought against the Lord” (Jeremiah 50:24 NLT). While they had been commissioned by God to destroy Judah, that did not absolve them from the role they played. They did so willingly and eagerly. God did not have to force them to do what they did. He simply orchestrated the timing and ordained the manner in which their evil desires manifested themselves. But, in attacking Judah, they were actually fighting against God. They were attacking the people of God. the second accusation God levels against the Babylonians has to do with the temple. Jeremiah writes, “the Lord our God has taken vengeance against those who destroyed his Temple” (Jeremiah 50:28 NLT). In their sack of Jerusalem, the Babylonians plundered and completely destroyed the once-great temple that Solomon had built.

He burned down the Lord’s temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem, including every large house. The whole Babylonian army that came with the captain of the royal guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. – 2 Kings 25:9-10 NLT

The Babylonians broke the two bronze pillars in the Lord’s temple, as well as the movable stands and the big bronze basin called “The Sea.” They took the bronze to Babylon. They also took the pots, shovels, trimming shears, pans, and all the bronze utensils used by the priests. The captain of the royal guard took the golden and silver censers and basins. The bronze of the items that King Solomon made for the Lord’s temple—including the two pillars, the big bronze basin called “The Sea,” the twelve bronze bulls under “The Sea,” and the movable stands—was too heavy to be weighed. Each of the pillars was about twenty-seven feet high. The bronze top of one pillar was about four and a half feet high and had bronze latticework and pomegranate shaped ornaments all around it. The second pillar with its latticework was like it. – 2 Kings 25:13-17 NLT

They would pay for what they had done. And it would not end with their fall to the Persians. God has a much greater and complete destruction in store for Babylon. The prophet, Isaiah, write of that coming day.

Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms,
the Chaldeans’ source of honor and pride,
will be destroyed by God
just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.
No one will live there again;
no one will ever reside there again.
No bedouin will camp there,
no shepherds will rest their flocks there.
Wild animals will rest there,
the ruined houses will be full of hyenas.
Ostriches will live there,
wild goats will skip among the ruins.
Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses,
jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces.
Her time is almost up,
her days will not be prolonged. – Isaiah 13:19-22 NLT

That day, as described by Isaiah, will be one of worldwide judgment at the hands of God.

Look, the Lord’s day of judgment is coming;
it is a day of cruelty and savage, raging anger,
destroying the earth
and annihilating its sinners… – Isaiah 13:9 NLT

God will bring judgment on the entire earth, once and for all. He will put an end to the sin and rebellion that He has so patiently endured for so many centuries.

“I will punish the world for its evil,
and wicked people for their sin.
I will put an end to the pride of the insolent,
I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants.
I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold,
and people more scarce than gold from Ophir.
So I will shake the heavens,
and the earth will shake loose from its foundation,
because of the fury of the Lord who commands armies,
in the day he vents his raging anger.” – Isaiah 13:11-13 NLT

Obviously, none of this has yet happened. But Isaiah makes it clear that the coming judgment of God is unavoidable.

It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment,
coming to destroy the whole earth.
Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment is near;
it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign Judge. – Isaiah 13:5-6 NLT

He is the sovereign judge. He is God Almighty, and while He has allowed mankind to continue to live in open rebellion against Him, He will not endure their disobedience forever. The apostle Paul reminds us that God has been willing to put up with the sins of mankind for generations, because He had a plan by which He would provide them a means by which they might be made right with Him. He sent His Son as the payment for the sins of mankind. And all those who place their faith in Him as their Savior and sin substitute, receive forgiveness of sins and justification with God. They are restored to a right relationship with God. They are freed from future condemnation and assured of a place in God’s future Kingdom.  God could have wipe out all of mankind at any time, because all have sinned against Him. All are guilty of rebellion and disobedience to Him. And yet, Paul reminds us…

…even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles. – Romans 9:22-24 NLT

God showed mercy. He sent His Son. He did for sinful mankind what they could not do for themselves. He provided a means of salvation. He paid their sin debt for them. He provided a source of righteousness they could never have produced on their own. And some would avail themselves of this incredible gift from God, while others rejected it. And there are still many yet to come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. And there are many who will yet reject that gift of God’s grace. So, God’s patient endurance continues. He holds off His final judgment. But He will not do so forever.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

The Cup of God’s Wrath.

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Thus the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. They shall drink and stagger and be crazed because of the sword that I am sending among them.”

So I took the cup from the Lord‘s hand, and made all the nations to whom the Lord sent me drink it: Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a desolation and a waste, a hissing and a curse, as at this day; Pharaoh king of Egypt, his servants, his officials, all his people, and all the mixed tribes among them; all the kings of the land of Uz and all the kings of the land of the Philistines (Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod); Edom, Moab, and the sons of Ammon; all the kings of Tyre, all the kings of Sidon, and the kings of the coastland across the sea; Dedan, Tema, Buz, and all who cut the corners of their hair; all the kings of Arabia and all the kings of the mixed tribes who dwell in the desert; all the kings of Zimri, all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of Media; all the kings of the north, far and near, one after another, and all the kingdoms of the world that are on the face of the earth. And after them the king of Babylon shall drink.

“Then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among you.’

“And if they refuse to accept the cup from your hand to drink, then you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: You must drink! For behold, I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the Lord of hosts.’

“You, therefore, shall prophesy against them all these words, and say to them:

“‘The Lord will roar from on high,
    and from his holy habitation utter his voice;
he will roar mightily against his fold,
    and shout, like those who tread grapes,
    against all the inhabitants of the earth.
The clamor will resound to the ends of the earth,
    for the Lord has an indictment against the nations;
he is entering into judgment with all flesh,
    and the wicked he will put to the sword,
declares the Lord.’

“Thus says the Lord of hosts:
Behold, disaster is going forth
    from nation to nation,
and a great tempest is stirring
    from the farthest parts of the earth!

“And those pierced by the Lord on that day shall extend from one end of the earth to the other. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall be dung on the surface of the ground.

“Wail, you shepherds, and cry out,
    and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock,
for the days of your slaughter and dispersion have come,
    and you shall fall like a choice vessel.
No refuge will remain for the shepherds,
    nor escape for the lords of the flock.
A voice—the cry of the shepherds,
    and the wail of the lords of the flock!
For the Lord is laying waste their pasture,
    and the peaceful folds are devastated
    because of the fierce anger of the Lord.
Like a lion he has left his lair,
    for their land has become a waste
because of the sword of the oppressor,
    and because of his fierce anger.” – Jeremiah 25:15-38 ESV

This is a relatively long section and, at first glance, not a very uplifting one. In it, Jeremiah is instructed by God to pour out His wrath on the nations. This was a symbolic action, in the sense that there was no literal cup given to Jeremiah by God. What God was commanding Jeremiah to do was to communicate His message of pending judgment on all the nations surrounding Judah. They were not going to escape God’s wrath, while the people of Judah suffered.

“And if they refuse to accept the cup, tell them, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: You have no choice but to drink from it. I have begun to punish Jerusalem, the city that bears my name. Now should I let you go unpunished? No, you will not escape disaster. I will call for war against all the nations of the earth. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!’” – Jeremiah 25:28-29 NLT

Exactly how Jeremiah got this message to the various nations listed in the passage is not made clear. But Jeremiah claims to have obeyed the word of the Lord.

“So I took the cup of anger from the Lord and made all the nations drink from it—every nation to which the Lord sent me.” – Jeremiah 25:17 NLT

It is doubtful that Jeremiah made the lengthy trip to Egypt to hand-deliver his news to Pharaoh. More than likely, Jeremiah sent messages to the long list of nations provided to him by God. This was simply an action designed to let these nations know that God was going to deal with them as well. It was not a call to repentance, since they were not followers of Yahweh. It was a prophetic warning of coming judgment against each and every one of the nations named by God. And the cup of God’s wrath was not the message itself, but the actual devastation that would come in the form of the Babylonians. All of these nations would eventually drink from the cup of God’s wrath and “When they drink from it, they will stagger, crazed by the warfare I will send against them” (Jeremiah 25:16 NLT).

What we have here is a picture of God’s pending judgment against all mankind for its sin and rebellion against Him. In a sense, God is patiently putting up with the sins of men, patiently biding His time until the end, when He will mete out His justice once and for all. The judgment of God was going to come on all the nations contained in the list given to Jeremiah. But it would not result in their complete destruction. That is being reserved for a later date. In the meantime, God is putting up with the sins of mankind. Unlike the days of Noah, when God determined to wipe out all of mankind due to their unrestrained sin, God is choosing to tolerate sin for a time. It is not that mankind’s sinfulness is less egredious than it was in the days of Noah. It is that God chose to delay judgment until His Son came to earth to provide a means of reconciliation for sinful men. And once His Son came, God has been delaying the outpouring of His wrath on humanity until all those who will come to faith in His Son have had the opportunity. The apostle Paul spoke of this patient endurance of God when he wrote to the believers in Rome.

In the same way, even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction. He does this to make the riches of his glory shine even brighter on those to whom he shows mercy, who were prepared in advance for glory. And we are among those whom he selected, both from the Jews and from the Gentiles. – Romans 9:22-24 NLT

God must punish sin. As God, He is obligated by His very nature to mete out justice and judgment on any and all rebellion against His divine will and authority. But He has chosen to delay His final judgment. But the apostle Peter would have us remember that God will not delay forever.

But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. – 2 Peter 3:8-10 NLT

So, judgment will come. In Jeremiah’s day, it would be devastating, yet partial and incomplete. Many of the nations on the list still exist in some form or fashion. But there is a day coming when God’s judgment will be complete and final. And Jeremiah uses very graphic terms to describe what that day will look like.

In that day those the Lord has slaughtered will fill the earth from one end to the other. No one will mourn for them or gather up their bodies to bury them. They will be scattered on the ground like manure. – Jeremiah 25:33 NLT

God is patient. He is long-suffering. He has sent His Son as the sacrifice for the sins of men and as payment for the debt owed by men and women for their sins. And all those who accept God’s gracious gift of salvation made possible through His Son’s death and resurrection receive forgiveness of their sins and the assurance of eternal life with Him. But the sins of mankind are real and an offense to a holy and righteous God. They cannot and will not be overlooked by God. He must judge sin. And all those who refuse the gift of His Son, must pay their own debt with their own lives. For as Paul so clearly stated, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV). All men have sinned and all deserve the judgment of death, including eternal separation from God. But God is patiently holding back His wrath, waiting until all who will be saved have been saved. Then His judgment will be unleashed. And His Son will return, not as Savior, but as Judge.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. – Revelation 19:11-16 NLT

But while God delays, we must be about the business of reconciliation, calling people back to God. We must share the good news of salvation with any and all. As Peter so aptly put it, “No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9 NLT).

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

1 Samuel 11-12, Romans 8

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The Patience of God.

1 Samuel 11-12, Romans 8

And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself.” – 1 Samuel 12:20-22 ESV

The people got what they wanted: Their very own king. In 1 Samuel 12, Saul is officially anointed king of Israel, and Samuel gives his retirement speech. He resigns as the final judge of Israel, but before he disappears into the sunset, he leaves the people with one final word. First of all, he made them testify as to the integrity of his character and ministry. He had not defrauded anyone. He had not taken advantage of his role as judge or attempted to profit personally from it. There had been no bribes taken or any hints of impropriety on his part. Which gave Samuel the permission to address the people bluntly and honestly about their spiritual condition. “Your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king” (1 Samuel 12:17 ESV). And he confirmed his words by calling on God to send rain and thunder right in the middle of the wheat harvest. The people had followed in the footsteps of their ancestors, having forgotten God and all that He had done for them over the years. When faced with possible war with the Ammonites, rather than turn to God, they had demanded, “‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king” (1 Samuel 12:12 ESV).

What does this passage reveal about God?

But in spite of their sinful actions, God was ready to forgive them and to continue leading and providing for them. But Samuel reminds them that they were going to have to fear, serve, and obey Him. They were going to have to stop rebelling against His commands. Not only them, but their new king as well. He would be immune to or exempt from God’s commands. Samuel told them, “If both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well” (1 Samuel 12:14 ESV). God was still willing to bless them, in spite of them. But they would have to faithfully serve Him and honor Him as God. “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself” (1 Samuel 12:20-22 ESV). God would not forsake them. But they had to stop turning after “empty things” – those worthless, vacuous replacements for God. Samuel warned them that heir habit of coming up with God-replacements was going to have to stop. But the reality would be that this condition would continue for generations to come, ultimately ending with their defeat at the hands of their enemies and their exile into foreign lands as captives. But God would still not forsake them. He would still prove faithful to them.

What does this passage reveal about man?

Mankind is inherently unfaithful. Our sin natures make it impossible for us to do even what we want to do. And obedience to God doesn’t come naturally to any of us. The Israelites could not keep the Law of God, no matter how much they vowed to do so. Their flesh just wasn’t up to the task. So, Paul tells us, “God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4 ESV). God did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He provided a way for men to be made right with Him that was not dependent upon their own sinful flesh, because if left to the Law and our own capacity to keep it, we would all fall short. God sent His Son to live the life He had required of all men. Jesus came in the form of human flesh and lived in perfect obedience to the Law of God. He was faithul and obedient, even to the point of death. He did everything that God the Father required of Him. And it was His perfect obedience to the will of God that allowed Him to offer Himself as the sinless sacrifice on man’s behalf. He took our place and our punishment, so that we might receive His righteousness. His blood covered our sin. His sacrifice atoned for our unrighteousness. God sent His Son to die on our behalf and to accomplish for us what we could never have done for ourselves. All because He loved us.

How would I apply what I’ve read to my own life?

I am no different or better than the Israelites. Without Christ I would be just as prone to faithlessness and rebellion against God, no matter how much I might want to live differently and obediently. My flesh just doesn’t have what it takes to do what God demands. But because of what Jesus has done, I have been made right with God. And as Paul so aptly puts it, “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, now will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32 ESV). God is for me. That is an amazing thought. And His Son sits at His right hand making intercession for me. On top of that, no matter what I may face in this life, whether it be trials, troubles, pain, sorrow, persecution, danger, hunger or even death itself, I will never find myself separated from the love of God. Because it is not based on my ability to live perfectly or sinlessly. He will never forsake me. I am His adopted child and an heir to His kingdom. So while life may throw all kinds of curves my way, they are never an indication that I have fallen out of God’s favor. I am His and He has my future fully secured. And while I know I will fail Him in this lifetime, He will never forsake me. He is a patient, loving, gracious, merciful God. And my response should be exactly what Samuel required of the people of Israel. “Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24 ESV)

Father, thank You for your incredible patience and love for me. I did not deserve Your grace and mercy. I could not have earned Your favor any more than the Israelites did. But You sent Your Son to pay for my sins and die in my place. You provided a way for me to be made right with You that I could never have done on my own. You showed me patience and You continue to do so as I struggle with obedience and faithfulness every day of my life. Help me to fear You and serve You faithfully with all my heart, and to never forget all the great things You have done for me. Amen

Ken Miller
Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

 

Day 62 – Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-9

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You’ve Got To Be Kidding Me?

Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-9

“About this time another large crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again.’” – Mark 8:1 NLT

Wait a minute! Haven’t we already read this story before? Didn’t Jesus just do this? Hadn’t He fed 5,000 men, plus their wives and children with just 5 loaves and 3 fishes? And weren’t the disciples there? Yes, they were and, not only that, they were given the job of picking up all the leftovers and there were exactly 12 baskets of food remaining after everyone had stuffed themselves. So now we find the disciples and Jesus in a similar situation. You would think the disciples would have remembered what had happened before and simply turned to Jesus with whatever meager provisions they had and said, “Do that thing You do!” But no, they seem to be suffering from short-term memory loss. Jesus remarks to His disciples, “I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry, or they will faint along the way” (Matthew 15:32 NLT). Notice that, unlike the first occasion, this time Jesus doesn’t ask the disciples to do anything. He doesn’t ask them to take care of the problem. He simply mentions His concern for the people. Again, you would think this was a perfect set-up for the disciples to turn around and say, “But Jesus, You fed the 5,000. Why not do the same for these people?” No, the disciples respond, “Where would we get enough food here in the wilderness for such a huge crowd?” (Matthew 15:33 NLT).

They hadn’t learned a thing. They were still stuck in a temporal zone, marked by physical limitations and hampered by human reasoning. They looked at the situation in front of them and saw impossibilities. Jesus saw the crowd and their need. The disciples couldn’t see past the perceived problem. Even after all the miraculous things they had witnessed Jesus do, including feed a crowd bigger than the one that surrounded them at the moment, they still couldn’t bring themselves to think out of the box. Their human nature overpowered their faith, causing them to doubt rather than believe, to question rather than anticipate great things from a great and powerful God. But Jesus patiently led them through yet another lesson in faith. He fed the crowd yet again. And as before, there was plenty of food leftover – another reminder of God’s ability to meet needs above and beyond our wildest expectations – even when we don’t have any expectations.

When it was all said and done, Jesus sent the crowds home, fat and happy. Then He and the disciples got into a boat and sailed to their next destination. The disciples were learning, slowly but surely. All of these events were being burned in their memories and when Jesus returned to heaven after His resurrection, the Holy Spirit would help them make sense of all the seemingly nonsensical things they had seen happen over their more than three year adventure with Jesus. One day they would be able to look back and see what they hadn’t seen before. And their faith would grow stronger as a result. In the meantime, Jesus would patiently teach and instruct them, lovingly repeating some of the lessons over and over again. He knew their day would come. He was preparing them for the future, when He would be gone and the Holy Spirit would take His place. Then these stubborn, seemingly slow to learn disciples would turn the world upside down with their faith and unbridled boldness.

Jesus, You are still patient today. With us. We can be just as guilty of missing the miracles You perform in and around our lives. We can end up concentrating on our circumstances and seeing only the problem and never expecting You to provide a solution. Thank You for lovingly, patiently putting up with us. But may our faith grow with each passing day and may we begin to expect great things from You, even when everything looks impossible. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org