2 Peter 3:9 NIV
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
In these times when it seems that man keeps finding new and novel ways to perpetrate evil and iniquity, the words of today's verse remind us of God's views on this present life and the one we are expecting. It had been made very clear by God that even our human bodies are not built to last forever, and that is why we report births and deaths. We are born; we live up to a certain age and then we die, with an account to be rendered to God for how we lived our lives. If our human bodies are limited as God's Word has made clear, it is also clear that this present earth is on a timer too, and will expire at some point. God has made that absolutely clear. I cannot pick and choose that which is convenient for me to accept and then reject the others which make me feel uncomfortable. As long as God has said it, He is bound by the power of His name and the integrity of His Word to do as He has said.
If I have seen many of His prrsonal promises to me come to pass, and I have seen prophecies from long ago all coming to pass in the world, I have a template and framework that proves that God is real and can be trusted. God has promised punishment for sin and eternal separation from God for anyone who dies in sin. It would appear sometimes that God is slow in punishing sin, and that is why men of the world are quick to perpetuate evil. It would appear that God is silent when even His own children, who do what is right, are treated unfairly, and sometimes killed? This is why you find believers sometimes becoming despondent, wondering where God is in the midst of their pain and discomfort. This is the mercy and grace of God at work, as well as His justice. If He were to mark and punish sin immediately it was committed, how many of us would be alive now?
As He shows mercy for the one who tells a lie, so does He extend grace for the one who has committed murder. I cannot label one sin as small and another as big. Before God, sin is sin, and as His Word has said, liars, as well as murderers, will have their part in the lake of fire if they do not repent. He gives all of us, His creation, the same opportunity to hear His Word, repent from sin and return to Him. Would it not then amount to foolishness to take such grace and mercy for granted? It is not His desire that a life, in which He has invested a lot, should perish and be lost forever. He may appear slow, but not the way we define it. All men will stand before the throne of God for judgment at some point, and the just God would be able to say He gave all men the opportunity to hear His Word. His Word has again gone out here; how would you respond? God's time of favour is here.
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