A Note on Patience.

Patience, patience, patience.  It is the most profoundly difficult in this life to be patient, particularly when we are continually bombarded by a vast cacophony of irritants and frustrations.  Having been an impatient man for the majority of my life I can say with confidence that I know a good deal about what patience is not.

For instance, I can see that patience is not sniping your spouse when he/she does something disagreeable.  It is also not uttering some snide comment when something becomes unbearably tedious.  And it is certainly not the act of screaming at the top of your lungs every foul obscenity you can think of when the guy in the large SUV in the lane next to you comes over into your lane without any signal and then flicks you off like you're the idiot (I speak purely hypothetically, of course).  No, patience is not any of these things or even any thing that may appear like any of these things.

Patience is something altogether different.  It is, at the very least, a perspective that is applied to every facet of life.  Patience is sort of like holding your hand in cold dish water to pull those gummy, slimy food scraps out of the sink–not a particularly pleasant job but when it needs to be done.  But this also is but a shadow of what patience is, because it only considers patience a matter of time while neglecting patience's greater matter: relationships.

Relationships are the breeding ground or the cemetery for patience, depending, ultimately, not on willingness but on love.  If we love, truly love the people around us and see them as God sees them then we will be patience not out of any humanitarian disposition or altruistic intention but because we will, at our hearts, love them.

In the end, this is what patience is all about.  It is a matter of love and needs to be learned and practice as such, knowing that all love is received and refined by God as He imparts it to human beings through Christ.  Therefore, the most patient thing we could ever do is to look to Christ and to love Christ at all times.

Be Still on Days like this...

Today has been one of those days.  I did not sleep much at all last night and I woke up ornery.  Work was a drag that seemed to never end and the drive home was doubled because of a closed road.  Add to that a Minnesota winter that simply does not want to stay away as it is near-blizzard conditions right now.  Like I said, it has been one of those days.

And it is times like these, when circumstance seems to pin down my spirit and snuff my fire that this simple phrase comes to mind: "Be still and know that I am God."

When it all feels broken, it seems so right to hear God say: "Don't worry, I got this."

All I can say in response is: AMEN!

Turning to God in times of Weariness

How far would you have to be pushed for you to be pushed too far?  Or, how many times would you have to be patient before you ran out?  Or, at what point would you finally throw your hands up and look a person into the eyes and say: "Enough! You've gone too far and I cannot help you any more!"

Sometimes it can be a healthy thought experiment to consider these things in lieu of God and all His gracious majesty.  I recently thought of such things during a particularly challenging day.  Work had been crazy and unstable.  The drive home was backed-up with rush hour traffic.  My night's plans were thrown off by life's improvisations.  And by the end of the night, I was both exhausted and irritable.

As I was lying in lying in my bed, trying to decompress from the erratic jar of my day, when the Holy Spirit spoke into my heart and my head.  To be honest, the voice was comforting but unwelcome at first, because when He spoke, I was slammed deeper into my mattress with conviction and awe.

We, every human being that has ever lived, behaves like a tired, upset, moody, crazy toddler to our Heavenly Father.  Yet He, in His infinite grace, never runs out of patience, never gives up, and cannot be pushed beyond His limits because He has none.  When the Holy Spirit spoke this to me, I was astonished at how easily I found myself bogged down by my limited patience and the meager issues that seem so big.  Truly, sometimes a healthy dose of godly perspective is all a person needs to turn back to God and receive some much needed peace.

Be Careful When Praying for Patience

A mentor of mine tells a story about a particular instance years ago.  He was a pastor in Chicago and, like most pastors, had a week filled with meetings and visitations to the degree that Saturday had come  with the Sunday morning's sermon still unfinished.  Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the sermon was barely started.

To remedy the situation, he locked himself in his church office for a couple of hours.  Yet despite his intentionality, he was distracted and struggling to stay focused.  Fed up with his lack of progress, my mentor went for a walk around the neighborhood to clear his head.  When he got back to the church, he went into his office, knelt down before his desk, and prayed: "Lord, please grant me the patience to do what I need to.  Lord, help me be patient.  Amen."

Just as he finished his prayer, there was a knock at his office door.  He went to the door and opened it to find the exact person needed for the job of distracting the pastor from writing his sermon.  Over the next two hours, the visitor chatted my mentor's ear off.  The whole time, my mentor was planning his escape and trying all the while to send his time-consuming visitor on his way.

Finally, the visitor leaves and my mentor is left alone, no closer to completing his sermon than he had been hours before.  Dejected at his progress, he sat down in his desk chair, trying to sink as far into the leather upholstery as he could.  It was now nearly dinner time and he still no sermon for his effort so he simply closed his eyes and breathed.  At this moment, he realized what just happened.

He had prayed for patience, expecting for God to instantly transform him into a man of patience.  Instead, God sent to him the very person to exercise his patience.  The visitor was the very thing God used to test and grow his patience.  My mentor understood this as a revelation from God, checked and confirmed it with Scripture, and the sermon was written in under an hour.

Patience is a tricky thing.  It is kind of like filling a bathtub as full as it can go but instead of pulling the drain plug, you keep the faucet on while the water flows over the side of the tub and pools into puddles on the tiled bathroom floor.  Being patient requires something or someone for us to be patient of.  For instance, you need patience when dealing with a long business deal, when handling difficult people or situations, and when overcoming illnesses.  Understanding that patience is how God would have us deal with difficult situations is key to recognizing when patience is needed and when we need to pray for God to help us.

Paul includes patience in his list of fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).  This is an important distinction for two reasons.  The first is that the Spirit is the source of patience, and as such when we need patience, what we really need is the Holy Spirit.  This equates to prayer and devotion.  Secondly, fruit is different than a gift in that gifts are given ready for usage whereas fruits need to be grown over time.  Because of this, when we pray for patience, like my mentor, we should not be surprised when we suddenly find ourselves being tested.  Let us then seek after God to grow our patience just as He provides opportunities to be patient!

Don't be Fooled by the Speech of Fools

A mechanic is an expert in automobiles.  He or she has been trained in the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles and has gotten sufficient experience for them to be considered mechanics.  As a result, they are trusted for their study as experts in their respective field.  Because of this, it would seem utterly asinine and idiotic for someone without any prior education or experience to tell that person what they "think" or "believe" to be the cause of their car troubles.

Or consider a medical doctor.  After having spent years of arduous study and rote memorization, coupled with years of hands-on experience in dealing with various types of patients and their syndromes.  Yet, inevitably, the patient will offer their arm-chair diagnosis with such gusto as if they themselves had done the schooling and they might know better or with more fullness what was actually going on.

However ludicrous the aforementioned examples may seem in their context, this principle is done with relative regularity and astonishing amounts of confidence in matters of faith and religion.  Truly, just like everyone who tries to offer their own diagnosis of car troubles or health, the unrepentant unbeliever will often make up his or her own story about truth and about God, with no care nor reference to the work and study done by believers and theologians who have given their very lives to the task of pursuing God and His truth.

Moreover, the unbeliever who would assert their own unfounded theological systems, tend to do so in such a relativistic way that warrants any discussion of true truth, that is to be found solely in the One who IS truth, is made impotent by their babbling.  Thus, the discussion is left unresolved because to the unbelievers unwillingness to hear the truth of God, due to their hardness of heart.

Strangely enough, Solomon spoke about such useless and foolish babbling several centuries ago.  He writes in Proverbs, "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, only in sharing his own opinion (Pro. 18:2)."  He writes also that, "The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near (Pro. 10:14)."  Thus, the man who continually airs his own opinion with no regard for transformational understanding is a fool.

This also brings to light the essential importance of humility in any theologizing.  If we are to be people of wisdom, then we need to be slow to speak and quick to listen in these matters (James 1:19). The challenge is that this principle, though easily asserted for its merit, is far-from-easy to implement.  However, if we remember that a fool will expose himself by his many words, if we simply listen attentively we will be in much better positions to address the fool with the truth that will pierce his foolishness: the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Let us then take heed the work done by great Christians of the past and those of the present who dedicate their very lives to pursuing God.  For they are the spiritual doctors that are studied and trained in the things of God and should be thought of as such.  Praise be to God that He would not leave us autonomous but that He would commission a body of believers with various gifts and callings to advance His Church and His Kingdom!

No Worth to Worry

Anxiety is a killer.  It, like a snake, slithers into the back of our minds wearing the mask of preparation and security, settles into our hearts under the guise of concern, and ultimately fixes itself in our souls as doubt in God's provision and providence.  Worry destroys our ability to have faith because when we worry we are not relying on the Lord.

Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), uses a vivid word picture to describe the uselessness of anxiety and worry.  Jesus points to the lilies of the field that neither labor nor spin but are clothed in more splendor than Solomon ever was.  Or the birds of the field, they neither reap nor sow nor store in barns yet the Father in heaven feeds them.

Jesus' point is summed up in two verses: "who by worrying can add a single hour to his life (Matt. 6:27)"; and, "do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.  Every day has its own troubles (Matt. 6:34)."  Jesus wants to make it clear that worrying serves no Kingdom purpose but is a distraction from Kingdom work.

Worry and anxiety are real.  Our world is inundated with prescriptions, procedures, and methods for dealing with the unsettling panic of worry.  These will inevitably fail because we are trying to treat symptoms and not the deeper issue, which is doubt.  Doubt.  God is the provider of our every deepest desire.  He wants to do this, He longs to provide for us.

When we find ourselves worrying or anxious, these are symptoms of a much deeper longing for God's provision and security in our lives.  He is to be our provider as we are faithful and steadfast to rely on Him to provide.  Therefore, worry is a sign that we are not secure in our faithfulness but we are shaky and doubtful that God holds all things in His mighty hands.

Both Paul and Peter are clear that Christians should not worry but in prayer and devotion cast their  anxieties on the Lord who is sure to provide and secure His children (Phil. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:7).  The Lord is the source of our comfort and security.  Ultimately, we should rely on God to provide.  He is the one who is to get the glory for our lives.  Let us then not worry about how things will come about but let us trust that the Lord who loves us perfectly will care for us, our deepest needs and desires!

Marriage: a Beautiful Challenge

Getting married is easy.  Having a healthy, godly, and successful marriage is hard.  It requires emotional, physical, and spiritual commitment from both parties.  More than anything, it is an exercise in sacrifice and service.  Marriages fail for many reasons, but no reason is quite as prevalent or as destructive as selfishness.

Scripture presents a particularly unified account of the selfless love that marriage requires.  Selfless love can be summed up simply: the denial of self to the benefit of the other.  However simple the definition of selfless love may be, living it out is another thing all together.  The key, as in all of life, is to look to Jesus as the ultimate example of selfless love.

In Paul's letter to the church in Philippi, Paul clearly indicates that Jesus, although being in very nature God, condescended to humanity to become the servant of all, and that we should likewise take an attitude and posture that emulates Christ's selflessness (Phil 2:1-10).  The foundation that is Jesus should be not just the root of our salvation, but the example by which we live our lives as well.

The selflessness of Christ is to be an example for the selflessness of marriage, especially for husbands (Eph. 5:25-27).  This is more than a convicting exhortation.  To live with an attitude and posture of selflessness requires devotion and focus to the Lord.  Only when we are focused on the Lord, Jesus, and His example by studying the Word, will we be truly able to live out the selfless love that successful marriage requires.

In reality, there are long-lasting marriages that are not rooted on the firmest of foundations.  However, God desires marriage to be more than mere civil financial partnerships with an emotional component.  Marriage is a divine pairing of two people to a single coupled person (Gen. 2:24).  Selflessness then is one half of the couple holding up the other half and vice versa.

Marriage is a constant battle that pits the pull of selfishness against Christ's example of selflessness.  The truth is that if both partners are living out Christlike selflessness, then they will have no need to be selfish as desires and needs will be fulfilled in and by the partner.  This truly is the beauty of marriage, not to discount how thoroughly challenging it is to implement.  But thanks be to God, who provides the example and the resources to have selfless marriages!

The Exiled Elect

 In the 6th century B.C., the Jewish people were conquered and displaced in an exile of national proportions and theological implications.  The exile was not and should not be thought of as merely one nation conquering another. Instead, the exile is rife with theology and relevance.  moreover, throughout the Scriptures, the language of the exile is sobering and prevalent.

In the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, the Mosaic Law was given and came to be the governing authority and religious framework for all of Israel.  This law was part of a conditional covenant between God and Israel, known as the Mosaic Covenant.  The stipulations and conditions of this covenant are clearly laid out and defined in Deuteronomy.  The striking feature of this covenant is that there are distinct requirements of obedience and devotion.  Plainly stated, if the Israelites were obedient then they would be blessed; however, if they were disobedient to the covenant's requirements, then they would be cursed and exiled in judgment.

Unfortunately, the Israelites fell into continued covenant infidelity and centuries of disobedience.  Because of their disobedience the Israelites were sent into exile, first the ten northern tribes of Israel by the Assyrians followed by the southern Judeans by the Babylonians (by this time the Simeonites had been assimilated into the Judean tribe).  As a result of the exile(s), Israel spent some 70 years displaced from their Promised Land.

It is important to remember that the exile is just about the physical dispersion of Israel out of the Promised Land but, much more so, it is a theological construct, a framework for understanding the nature of God's people in the world, displaced from their Promised Land.  The exile is thus a way to explain the dislocation of believers from the promises of God.

The apostle Peter, in his first epistle, uses the language of exile and dispersion in relation to Christians living in the world (1 Pet. 1:1).  In this, the exile is not just a past event in Israel's history but it is a object lesson for understanding how believers live in the world today.  The exile refers to how believers are separated from the whole fulfillment of God's promises.

As believers, we have been blessed with a right relationship with the Lord.  All this is true, however, the status of our right relationship is only in part while we are still leashed to this fleshly mortal coil.  The reality is that we will not receive the completeness of God's promises until our final rest in death.  In a very real sense, Christians live this life in exile, awaiting our return to the promises of God and our restorations to the wholeness of His grace.  Throughout this, it is vital that we are patient in our waiting,  that we would hold fast to the fulfillment of God's promises and our release from the exile of this world.

Dusting off the Old Testament

The Old Testament was the Scripture that Jesus knew and that Paul and the disciples used to teach the early Church.  The Old Testament is comprised of three major sections: the Law (the first five books), the Prophets (Joshua to Isaiah plus the twelve latter prophets), and the Writings (Psalms, Proverbs, etc).  Jesus often taught that all of the Scriptures (the Old Testament) revealed who He was, most notably after His resurrection when He revealed how the whole of Scripture spoke of Him (Luke 24:27).  Needless to say, this means that the Old Testament warrants examination by Christians.

At the onset, the ancient writing is challenging, "the past is a foreign country: they do things differently there (L.P. Hartley)."  Because of its nature, the challenge is more prevalent with the Old Testament.  The composition of the Old Testament spans many centuries; understanding it requires a bit of study.  The canon of the Old Testament is comprised of a variety of literary styles written by a diverse set of authors that was edited by later scribes. A good study Bible is the first step.

Additionally, the Old Testament is full of stories that reveal that nature of God and His relationship to mankind.  Therefore, understanding the Old Testament can be rewarding but it requires practice.  Although the Old Testament is compiled of episodes, it is not merely about stories: there is much more.  In this, the key is to read from a broad perspective, keeping in mind the forest before getting too fixed on the individual trees; focus on the whole before addressing the minutiae.

For this, reading whole books is in order.  Reading the whole book or major sections helps us to understand the big things.  Then, following the completion, making basic mental outlines and plain synopsis of theme and purpose will help to define the most important elements.  Additionally, understanding why the book was written and for whom is a great way to garner pertinent information that is helpful in interpretation.

Ultimately, the whole Bible is about God, who He is and how He relates to us.  We should dig into it and not shy away from the Old Testament in the process.  The Old Testament is rich with theology and Christology that make it essential study for all Christians.  That being said, it can be difficult to understand and a good study Bible as well as basic hermeneutical technique can go a long way to help.

Not Conformed to the World

The world is full of shimmer and shine, temptations that distract and lead people astray.  John was clear that we should not desire the world and its fleshly desires, and that the love of the world is not compatible with the will of God.  Paul confirms this position as well as giving us further exhortation for handling the world.  "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Rom. 12:2)."  Understanding the richness of this verse and the theology thereof is a multi-faceted venture.

First of all, what is the pattern of this world that we should not conform to any longer?  Although answering this question is complex, a contracted summation could be defined in two words: irreverence & sin.  The most striking feature of the world is its irreverence to the Lord.  And, as a result of this irreverence, the world does not fear the Lord.  This inevitably and without fail leads to sin.

In contrast, Christians are to live a life of fear and reverence to the Lord, which prevents believers from falling into sin.  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Pro. 9:10; Psa. 111:10).  Therefore, any person that strives to wisdom will begin with this basic assertion and will live in reverence to the Lord.

Moreover, the world defines itself in individuality, autonomy, and independence.  The central theme of the world and those living within it is the "I" and "me."  The individual strives to assert his/her individuality and lives life as if independent and autonomous.  The world's identity is defined by the individualism.  Thus the individual pursues individuality and self-reliance.  The irony is that we can categorize the world's individuals, making them less than unique.  

This is antithetical to Christian life which is defined as dependent.  The Christian is to be reliant on the Lord and dependent on the body of Christ.  The individual in Christianity is established not in terms of worldly identity but in reference to divine design and gifting.  The Christian does not strive for individuality but his/her uniqueness is defined in the body of Christ, not autonomous but contingent.

Understanding the world that we are no longer to conform to is the first step in understanding Romans 12:2.  The next step is the renewal of our minds.  This is essential and not passive.  It requires study and diligence.  Our identities are deeply entrenched in how we think.  When our minds our renewed by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, who we are changes to be inline with the will of God.

Lastly, being able to discern the will of God is the product of the renewal of our minds.  It is important to note that the will of God is not the only will that is presented to us.  When Paul says that we are to discern the will of God implies that we will still have to choose His will among other potential choices.  Not conforming to the world and renewing our minds is the preparation that equips us to be able to choose, to discern, the will of God.

Controlling Self

Self-control: the telltale sign of a devout and maturing Christian.  The term defines a lifestyle, an attitude towards discipline; however, in regards to Christians, self-control could be misleading.  A more correct understanding of what it is to be self-controlled is Spirit-filled and obedient.  In truth, we are called to lead self-controlled, disciplined lives, but our ability to control ourselves does not come from ourselves but is intimately dependent on God.

Controlling self could be synonymous with denying self continually.  When we are asked to control ourselves, it is a request to deny our fleshly selves.  Self-control is not about monitoring our fleshly selves, but replacing them with our spiritual selves by the power of the Holy Spirit.  When we replace our fleshly selves with our spiritual selves we will live self-controlled lives.

Paramount to understanding self-control is temptation.  We would have no need for self-control if not for the power of temptation.  Temptation tugs, it pulls, it compels us to do and think things that are ungodly.  Self-control is about combating temptation.  In this regard, it is essential to remember that self-control, the denial of self to the exaltation of God, helps us to handle temptation.  Moreover, God is faithful to not let us be tempted beyond our ability to deny our selves (1 Cor. 10:13).

Additionally, the grace of God helps us to say "no" to temptation (Tit. 2:11-12).  In many ways, self-control could be described as a tactic, a strategy for dealing with temptation (1 Thes. 5:8).  The enemy of our souls, Satan, prowls around hoping to snare, trap, and devour (1 Pet. 5:8).  Being self-controlled is an attitude, a lifestyle, a tactic of spiritual warfare that helps us to overcome the temptations and snares of Satan and this world.

Self-control is also a practice that requires discipline to grow.  Luckily, we have an advocate, Christ, who is able to help believers to be self-controlled and to overcome temptation (Heb. 2:18).  Furthermore, we have to set our minds, prepare them for action, in order to handle temptation, to become men and women who are self-controlled (1 Pet. 1:13).  Praise be to God that He would be faithful to us in temptations and that He would desire for His Spirit to dwell in us!

Piece of Peace

Peace is an interesting word.  Its meanings range from quiet to solitude, from tranquility to contentment. The breadth of peace's place in the believer's life is huge.  This peace, divine peace, is a gift from God and is to cover our hearts and lives.  We are to live in the peace that God bestows upon us.

The peace that Christ gives to believers surpasses all understanding and is to guard our hearts and our minds (Phil. 4:7).  Peace serves a purpose, it is not just an attitude but is a state of being that keeps and protects believers from sin.  When we let the peace of Christ rest over our hearts, it acts as a protectant that prevents us from things like malice and envy, sin that can taint.

When peace is our state and how we handle the waves of this life, we will not let the fickle and mercurial nature of the world hinder our ability to live godly lives.  Jesus gives a peace that is dependable.  We can rest upon it.  This becomes crucial when we are constantly pushed to not be peaceful.  When life throws curves we should rely on the peace that God bestows to carry us through the toughest of situations with grace and dignity.

Being full of peace, peaceful, is also a way to live, an attitude to handle all of life's struggles.  Living in a state, an attitude, of peacefulness can be invaluable because we will become not be able to be overly-encumbered or overwhelmed by the world but will be in a place of contentment grounded in the Lord.  If the root of our peace is the Lord, we will not be shaken for the peace that passes understanding will help us to maintain a life of satisfaction.

The reality is that God desire for us to delight in Him and to only seek our satisfaction in Him.  This is what peace is all about: having our contentment and satisfaction met in Him.  When we truly rely on the Lord as the source of our strength and fulfillment, then we will understand what peace is all about.

Submission

Submission means relinquishing authority to another to the denial of self.  Needless to say, this is so intricately woven into the tapestry of the Christian life that it warrants discussion.  There are three basic authoritative forces that Christians are to submit to: God, church leadership, and the state.

The most obvious and central object of submission is and should always be God.  Submitting to the Lord and to His will is the foundation of all Christian life.  The Lord requires obedience and submission to His holiness in our lives: sanctification.  When, as we are reading and meditating on the Word and/or praying, He speaks to us, we are to listen and submit.  This is true submission.

After God, the next authority that we are to submit to is the leadership of the church: elders, deacons, wise teachers, etc.  Those that God has blessed with sanctification and wisdom are spiritual elders, divinely-gifted to guide and train believers.  This does not, however, mean that we should unequivocally and unabashedly accept any and all teaching that our church leaders give us.  Instead, we should weigh every teaching against the Word and the Holy Spirit.  Again, submitting to God should never be usurped by submitting to the church.  The church submits to God, His Word and the Holy Spirit, not ever should that hierarchy be overturned.

The other authority that we are to submit to is political authority.  Both Paul and Peter exhort believers to submit to civil leaders and authorities (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Pet. 2:13-17).  The important point here is that believers should never submit to the civil authorities of government and leadership if it goes against the Will and Word of God.  Again, any authority that warrants submission is secondary to submitting to the Lord Almighty.

Submission is a challenging activity.  It requires denying the self in order to acquiesce to the commands and wills of another.  This stands in direct contrast to our natural inclinations of self-determination and manifest destiny.  However, when we submit to God, we enter into His kingdom as heirs.  Submission to the Lord should be pursued.  In a real sense, we should strive for opportunities to devote ourselves in submission to the Lord.  The beautiful thing here is that when we submit to Him, He promises to bless us.

The Patience of God

The Lord is exceedingly patient.  He desires above all else for His children, the elect, to repent and turn to Him in faith (2 Pet. 3:9).  The Lord is a God of justice but He is not swift to dish out justice.  Instead, He is patient, giving man every possible chance to turn in faith to Him.  This is one of the most remarkable characteristics of God: that even though we are disobedient and obstinate to Him, He is faithful and patient with us.

There is incredible risk to the patience of God: delayed consequences of sin.  Because God is not swift to mete out justice, it can cause man to believe that justice won't come and they will grow more apostate as a result (Ecc. 8:11).  But God's patience is a test.  He is patient so that we would have every opportunity to repent and be obedient to His will.

When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they believed, rightly so, that they were the chosen people of God.  Because of this truth, after Solomon's death, when the nation split and turned to apostasy and unbelief, they believed that God would never judge and forsake His people.  Because He didn't judge them immediately, the people grew more and more apostate believing that God wouldn't judge them.  For centuries, He was patient with His people.  Eventually though, time ran out and judgment fell upon the people, razing the country through pagan empires and sending the people into exile; only the remnant survived.

As all of the Scripture speaks to Christ, the history of Israel does so as well.  What we, as Christians, can glean from the Old Testament is that, although judgment may be delayed, it is sure to come.  God is abounding in steadfast love and more than anything desires that we would turn to Him in confession and belief.  We should not take advantage of His patience but should recognize His patience as it is: worthy of praise.

Additionally, God's patience is to be an example for us.  We, as living sacraments of His nature, are to be patient as He is patient.  This is beyond difficult and only possible with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us.  Patience means that we will be quick to overlook faults and even quicker to forgive.  The Lord desires for us to forgive and be patient.  Ultimately, we cannot know how our acts of patience can propel others towards repentance and faith, and this is a beautiful thing.