What if God was like us? That might excite some people, especially those who have “arrived” in some areas of life. But, what if His patience was like ours? What if God was irritable or easily provoked? What if He believed we were a lost cause or unreachable? We’d be pitiful if God’s patience was like ours!
I’m ecstatic that God expresses His love through patience. He’s patient, even when others throw in the towel. Peter, the supporting actor in today’s text, is a testament of God’s patience. Prior to this text, Peter had been rebuked for talking too much (see Matthew16:23), boasting (see Matthew 26:33), violence (see John 18:11), and he denied Jesus three times (see Mark 14:66-72). But instead of adding injury to insult, Jesus restored Peter. He loved Peter so much that He refused to give up on him.
Aren’t you glad God is patient? We’re mistake-prone, yet God patiently loves the good out of us. Thank God for being so patient with us!
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6, New Living Translation).