Patience Has Its Limits (Gen. 6:3)
No greater demonstration of patience can be found than that shown by God toward humans. But we must understand that even God's longsuffering has a limit. The longsuffering of God lasted for 120 years in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared (1 Pet. 3:20). But the time came when the stubbornness of the people exhausted the longsuffering of God, and He destroyed the earth with a flood.
Read Genesis 6:3. What important principle is seen there?
In the cases of Sodom and Gomorrah, Israel in the wilderness, and the Babylonian captivity, what attitude on the part of the people prompted the consequences that the people suffered? Deut. 31:27, Ps. 95:8, Jer. 17:23.
It might be argued that, inasmuch as God ran out of patience, this gives us permission to do the same. But when we study the history of God's longsuffering, it becomes evident that His patience was not for a day, a week, or even a year. Often generations would pass before His longsuffering would be exhausted, which, of course, is not an option open to us.
Is there a point where our patience can legitimately run out when dealing with folk in a difficult situation? It depends on what that means. We might decide that we've had enough of a certain situation and conclude that it has to end. But that's not the same thing as being judgmental, unloving, or cruel in the process. It might be time to take action, but that action must never be out of harmony with the principles of kindness, love, and caring.
Dwell on situations in which your patience ran out legitimately and illegitimately. What was the difference between the two? What have you learned from these experiences? If you had to do them over again, what would you do differently?
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