“But for this very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life.”
1 Timothy 1:16
We all encounter situations that test our patience.
• Rush hour traffic.
• An unnecessarily long meeting at work.
• Stressful family situations.
Like taking money from an ATM, these scenarios require us to make repeated withdrawals from our ‘patience account.’ Sooner or later, however, the balance reaches zero. We simply run out of patience to give.
But let this sink in. The Lord isn’t like us. His account never runs dry. In fact, Paul tells us that the Lord has “immense patience,” two words that he had experienced firsthand.
At one time, Paul was adamantly ‘anti-Jesus.’ He was a “blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man” who did everything in his power to stomp out the flames of the Church (1 Timothy 1:13). Basically if there were an award for the ‘worst sinner imaginable,’ Paul would have won the biggest trophy.
But that was then….
As he wrote these words to his protégé, Timothy, Paul had been totally transformed. He was a living, breathing testimony of Jesus’ unending patience and mercy.
Notice that Paul said there was a greater purpose for his astonishing transformation. His life served as a textbook “example” for anyone who would come to believe in Jesus Christ, including you and me.
That, my friends, is very good news…particularly if you’ve never surrendered your life to Jesus.
Even if we, like Paul, have mocked the Church, hated everything about Christianity, and cursed His holy name, Jesus stands ready to shower us with an ocean of patience. He graciously invites us to come into His kingdom and “receive eternal life” (1 Timothy 1:16).
And for those of us who are already Jesus-followers, let’s be real.
We’ve also tested the Lord’s patience, haven’t we?
Even on our best days, our obedience is marked by inconsistency. Our love is often fickle, easily distracted by the lures of this world. And sometimes, we just flat-out fail…and fail miserably at that.
Sometimes I wonder if I’ve reached the limits of Jesus’ patience if He’s finally ready to give up and walk away from me.
But this is precisely when we need Paul’s example the most. His story is a powerful reminder that there is nothing we can do to exhaust the Lord’s patience. As the King James translation puts it, the Lord is “longsuffering.” Or to say it another way, Jesus puts up with A LOT from His children. Yet, His love for us is relentless.
Evangelical Anglican bishop J.C. Ryle once said- “Jesus knew what we were before conversion- wicked, guilty, and defiled, and yet He loves us. He knows what we will be after conversion: weak, erring, and frail. Yet, He loves us.”
Rest in this, my brother or sister in Christ. Despite how you may feel, His immense patience with you isn’t wearing thin. His patience isn’t anything like our imperfect patience. His patience is boundless. Extraordinary. Glorious. It is in every way…perfect.
So, how should we respond to His immense patience?
• Don’t abuse it – If we truly understand the depth of His patience, we will not take advantage of it to indulge our sinful nature.
• Rejoice – If we recognize how patient He’s been with us, we will celebrate with joy in our hearts and smiles on our faces.
• Reflect – If we’ve received His patience, we will reflect it to those around us.
Are you ready to practice the beauty of God’s patience in your own life?
Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH
DIG DEEPER
Read “What Does the Bible Say About Patience?” at GotQuestions.org
