Thursday, November 8, 2012

Slow to anger

1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Words of truth.

Longsuffering-  a pattern to those who would believe on Jesus to life everlasting.

Longsuffering - slow to anger.

Jesus Christ shows ALL longsuffering. We do not know what it really means to be slow to anger until you look at our Savior, until  you look at God. We tend to believe we are long suffering when we don't get mad immediately but truthfully that is next to nothing compared to what our God has had to endure in the way of being slow to anger dealing with us.

Read the following verses on longsuffering--

Exo 34:6  And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth

Psa_86:15  But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

Rom_2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Rom_9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction

2Co_6:6  By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned

Gal_5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith

Eph_4:2  With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love

Col_1:11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness

Col_3:12  Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering

2Ti_4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.

1Pe_3:20  Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

2Pe_3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2Pe_3:15  And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you


The LONGSUFFERING of our LORD IS SALVATION!

If our God was anything but longsuffering we would not exist.

How is your temperament? Are you slow to anger? Do you suffer much before it angers you? Or are you quick to anger? Do little things set you off? Does something just not have to go your way and you're instantly upset? Does it take very little for your ire to rise? What if GOD had your temperament? Seriously. Just how long would God's being slow to anger last if He had YOUR longsuffering attitude?

How many of us get angry at least once a day, once a week, once a month?  I'm not even going to go to once a year because part of me believes that I don't really know anyone that has gone a whole year without getting angry. 

In the GRAND scheme of things is even a year a long time to go without getting angry? No. Not in the eternal realm we are truly dealing with. 

This particular verse-

2Pe_3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The promise being the SECOND COMING OF OUR SAVIOR which ushers in a whole new existence. When that promise is realized then everything changes, everything. There will be NO MORE longsuffering on God's part because all will have been decided and His fury over sin can be fully realized.  We are BLESSED that HE is LONGSUFFERING, if He weren't slow to anger we would be totally wiped out, humans would never exist. Yet we do exist and He is our example. We are called to be LONGSUFFERING, we are called to be slow to anger.

1Ti 1:14  And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
1Ti 1:16  Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

Jesus Christ showed forth ALL longsuffering toward Paul- who called himself the chief of sinners. I don't know about you, but I feel like the chief of sinners myself and I PRAY that the LORD JESUS CHRIST shows ALL LONGSUFFERING towards me so that I many obtain mercy, His amazing mercy.

Please LORD please continue to be slow to anger, please Lord we need Your great mercy! 

Help us LORD to be longsuffering, in this world that has us angry all the time over one thing or another, please LORD teach us to be slow to anger.  By YOUR GRACE, through YOUR LOVE!

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