patience Archives – Sonshine's Journal

April 3, 2023April 3, 2023

The Patience of God

Judges 10 There is a pattern that becomes very evident in this book, and it is what we read in Judges 10:10 “The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.” How many times does a nation have to walk the same route to get the message that God is God and He will not share his glory with another? And yet: “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. “ [Ps 34:17]

Judges 9-12 reveals that, once again, the nation started out correctly but soon diminished into chaos and idolatry. It is then that they come back to God in tears and repentance. When the judge died, and the people are left without a godly leader they revert back to idolatry. The patience of God is remarkable; He allows us to wallow in the mire but is ready to forgive and reinstate us to a higher state. God has placed these chapters here for a reason so that we might learn and apply biblical principles to our lives.

What lessons is God teaching you as you read this book?

February 3, 2023February 3, 2023

God is Patient

Exodus 12-15 Short Memories

We remember in Exodus 5:2, Pharaoh had said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel!” After ten plagues, you would have thought he would now know the true God, but Pharaoh is stubborn and resistant. He has lost his firstborn but foolishly thinks he is greater than the God of Israel.

In the meantime, the Israelites have left with riches untold, and God graciously provided an escape route for His people. But as often is the case, like them, we look back, not forward. How often are we blind to the riches that God has given us? The sight of the Egyptian armies scares them; they think there is escaping and begin to murmur. They murmured before when Pharaoh increased their workload and, just like then, so now they say to Moses, didn’t we say leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians? We have short memories. They and we would rather be like the Prodigal son and serve the pig master than the Mighty God. Yet, God is patient.

We wonder why God is so patient with us. The answer is because of His plan to show Himself strong, and He loves us more than we can understand. Also, the truth of Jer. 29:11 is still true: He has a plan not to harm us but to give us a future filled with hope.

March 9, 2022March 9, 2022

God’s Tough Love & His Patience

Judges 9-12 Naughty Children Experience God’s Tough Love

There is a pattern that becomes very evident in this book, and it is what we read in Judges 10:10-16 “The Israelites cried out for help to the Lord: “We have sinned against you. We abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.” How often do we like the Israelites have to face tragedy to know that God is God and He will not share His glory with another? Yet, just like them, we too have to experience the tough love of God when we are in sin. There is a truth here: even in our sin, God is still patient, wooing us back to him, and, yes, sometimes it is with his tough love.

These chapters reveal a nation that started correctly but soon diminished into chaos and idolatry. Just like naughty children, they come back to God in tears and repentance only to remain that way until the judge dies and the people have no man of God to lead them. The patience of God is remarkable! He allows us to wallow in the mire but is ready to forgive and reinstate us. God has placed these chapters to learn and apply biblical principles to our lives.

What lessons is God teaching you as you read this book?

May 11, 2021May 11, 2021

How do you handle rejection?

2Samuel 10: Have you ever done something nice only not to receive a thank you but a rebuff? With a pure heart, David sent emissaries with a sympathy message at hearing the king of the Ammonites died. God sent His Son, but men have rebuffed his message of the gospel. Instead of receiving David’s message with a pure heart, the king’s son saw this as a challenge to war, whereas David had only meant peace and friendship.

There is a story in the NT about a vineyard that belonged to a king, a.k.a. God. God sent emissaries, but none were accepted. Instead, they sought to murder each representative He sent. Lastly, He sent his Son, and they killed him. These two stories are similar in many ways. God sent His Son to the vineyard, but his Son was humiliated. David sent sympathy gifts but the Ammonites rejected his overture. God sent His Son but He was rejected and ultimately crucified.

David had been more than patient with the Ammonites for what they had done earlier at Jabesh Gilead. He chose to retaliate then. God has been more than patient with his children, but there will come a time when He will act like David and retaliate.

What would we choose to do; be as David or patient as God?

April 27, 2015

Treasures…Here Today, Gone Tomorrow…OR???

In the last days blatant scoffers will come into our midst proclaiming that which is contrary to the Word of God. They say time marches on just as it always has from creation but choose to deny the effects of sin upon this earth and mankind. They heap unto themselves treasures of silver and clothes which moths and decay will turn to dust or to be given to charity for another. [Job 27]. Yet, we who believe in the power of the risen Christ are commanded to be heaping treasures which will last for eternity. In reality Peter is telling us what we really already know but need reminding: the only things we can carry into eternity are holiness and godliness for riches are uncertain but good deeds, generosity to others and sharing of the truth of the gospel are untouched by the taint of this world.

In addition the scoffers of this world fail to see the mercy and grace of God’s patience in waiting for them to repent and turn to Him. Sadly one day they will stand before God and will hear “depart from me, I never knew you.” May we yearn instead to hear “well done thou good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”

Beloved, where your heart is are your treasures. Are you sending your treasures on ahead to eternity or heaping them up here in a world of rust and decay?

March 14, 2014

The Word is Our Compass

When Paul left Timothy in Ephesus he saw the danger signs on the horizon for the flock and in fact Revelation 2 shows that indeed this precious flock did lose their first love. Are we discerning that we too see the danger signs and know how to act upon them?

Note that Paul references the Holy Spirit who “explicitly says” that in the later times certain things will come to pass; the first of which is the desertion of some faithful to the unfaithful camp. What might have triggered this departure? Dr. Constable writes: “this would come about as a result of their listening to persuasive arguments put forth by God’s spiritual enemies and, behind them, demons.” Rather than following these liars, as Paul references them, we are to hide God’s Word in our hearts, study to show ourselves approved as the Bereans did, and be mature in our perceptions to discern good and evil.

Now to Timothy Paul exhorts him to seek to “Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach” It is our speech, conduct, love, faithfulness, and purity along with the power of the Holy Spirit’s conviction that will draw them back.

Secondly, he is to be busy about “giving attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” Much is avoided when truth is taught from the pulpit. 2Ti 4:2 Preach the message, be ready whether it is convenient or not, reprove, rebuke, exhort with complete patience and instruction. The public reading of God’s Word and the teaching of the doctrines of the church is our Biblical compass against the false teachers.

Listen carefully this week as you sit under those who stand in the pulpits. Pray for them and pray for yourself. Pray that the anointed empowering Holy Spirit will direct, discern, and discriminate between what is truth and what is error.