| Baptist Student Ministries Of SIU Edwardsville |
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| Long-suffering Grace |
At the end of the twelve months he was walking about the royal palace of Babylon. The king
spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty
power and for the honor of my majesty?" While the word was still in the king's mouth, a
voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has
departed from you!" -- Daniel 4:29-31
Someone once said, "To become long-suffering, one has to be long-bothered."
This was certainly true of God's relationship with King Nebuchadnezzar.
Even after the king had been warned in a night vision about his pride, he
apparently failed to change his ways. In spite of knowing what was going to
befall him, Nebuchadnezzar continued to indulge his arrogant spirit. In his
conceit, he refused to acknowledge that all he had accomplished was by the
expressed aid of the Lord. Yet God, with long-suffering grace, allowed him
12 more months before bringing down judgment on him.
God does not sit in heaven and glee-fully look for opportunities to bring about
affliction. His desire is for all men to come to repentance. Peter wrote, "The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Accordingly, He both warns and waits,
seeking to bring about change through the conviction of His Spirit rather than
the heavy hand of judgment. Only as a last resort does He apply the
consequences of sin to those who commit it.
Christians also should be willing to show grace over an extended period of
time. Rather than quickly doling out condemnation, we ought to offer ample
opportunity for grace. While judgment ultimately must be meted out, give
plenty of time for a change of heart.
If you are dealing with a rebel in your life, do so with long-suffering grace.
Make sure that you show others the kind of grace that God has demonstrated
to you. That's the way to be like God.
spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty
power and for the honor of my majesty?" While the word was still in the king's mouth, a
voice fell from heaven: "King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: the kingdom has
departed from you!" -- Daniel 4:29-31
Someone once said, "To become long-suffering, one has to be long-bothered."
This was certainly true of God's relationship with King Nebuchadnezzar.
Even after the king had been warned in a night vision about his pride, he
apparently failed to change his ways. In spite of knowing what was going to
befall him, Nebuchadnezzar continued to indulge his arrogant spirit. In his
conceit, he refused to acknowledge that all he had accomplished was by the
expressed aid of the Lord. Yet God, with long-suffering grace, allowed him
12 more months before bringing down judgment on him.
God does not sit in heaven and glee-fully look for opportunities to bring about
affliction. His desire is for all men to come to repentance. Peter wrote, "The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should
come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). Accordingly, He both warns and waits,
seeking to bring about change through the conviction of His Spirit rather than
the heavy hand of judgment. Only as a last resort does He apply the
consequences of sin to those who commit it.
Christians also should be willing to show grace over an extended period of
time. Rather than quickly doling out condemnation, we ought to offer ample
opportunity for grace. While judgment ultimately must be meted out, give
plenty of time for a change of heart.
If you are dealing with a rebel in your life, do so with long-suffering grace.
Make sure that you show others the kind of grace that God has demonstrated
to you. That's the way to be like God.
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Today's Devotional