Jesus Is…His Character RevealedSýnishorn

Day 3 - Jesus is…Patient.

Matthew 18:21-35, 2 Peter 2:9, and Psalm 40:1 (ESV)

Devotional: The Lord is patient. His patience overflows into everything He does. Even when we wish His timing matched ours, His patience is for our sake. 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) says, "The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." He waits not out of delay, but out of love, giving more people time to repent and turn to Him. We also see His Patience in His forgiveness. One of my favorite examples is the parable of the unforgiving servant. Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive, and Jesus responds, saying basically as many times as it takes. In the story, a servant owes a massive debt to the king. He begs for mercy, and the king forgives him. But then the servant refuses to forgive someone who owes him just a little. The king says in verses 32-33 (ESV), “I forgave you all that debt… should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” Jesus is showing us His own heart, and He forgives an unpayable debt with patient love, again and again. His patience is not weakness; it is the strength of His mercy. Pause and reflect, although His timing is not your own and maybe not your preferred timeline, His is perfect because He embodies perfection.

Prayer: Jesus, help my patience when I forget that Your timing is perfect. Thank you that Your patience is for our benefit!