Immense Patience

This week I was struck by the concept of 'immense patience' that Paul figured Christ had displayed in himself (see 1 Timothy 1:16).

Fact is Paul had lived much of his life active as a deeply religious Jewish scholar, and yet ignorant of the real grace of God. Fact is also that Paul had ventured out to persecute believers and recipients of that same grace. Only through God's gracious intervention did he come to see it as well, and turn things around. How long had Christ waited for that moment, the right point to challenge Paul for persecuting him (Acts 9:4)?

How long had Christ waited for me? The eighteen years before I accepted him personally as Lord and saviour? Plus the numerous times beyond that (and still) where I try to have things my own way? How much do I still test His patience?

And what about our witnessing and working with others, praying and longing for them to accept the message? For their embracing of His transforming work, their long awaited growing in discipleship? If we are to be Christ-like, do we need to find in ourselves at least a slice of this same immense patience?

That does not mean that slip ups, mess ups, and downright wrongdoing should simply be over-looked or left un-challenged. There is place for this, and needs to be rightly done. Yet in the grand scheme of Christ's work, perhaps sometimes this need for us to wait to see the results may just be a further expression of Christ's immense patience being worked out.