Friday Thought -- March 14, 2014

Good Morning Friends,

“The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of [Nineveh]; he will pursue his foes into darkness.” (Nahum 1:3-8)

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power. The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.

Thank God for those characteristics of His. We rely upon those characteristics. Without them we would have no hope. He is patient with us, not bringing punishment upon us when we deserve it, but waiting for us to come back to Him. He has great power and willingly and lovingly uses it for our benefit. What He does in our lives is good. He guides us and provides for us and helps us. We can run to Him when we are troubled and hurt and find that He is always there, ready to help. His love for us is deep and eternal. He can be relied upon.

But there is another side to God. Though slow to anger, He will display His anger to those who do not come to Him. There is a limit to God’s patience. While He patiently waits for people to turn to Him, there will come a day when that patience will end and His wrath will be poured out on them. The power of the Lord to do good in our lives is awesome, but so is His power to punish. It will be like an overwhelming flood that destroys those who do not respond to His love.

So -- thank God that His love has reached you and you are bound to Him in that love. And realize what a fierce anger awaits those who do not come to God -- and look for opportunities to point people toward His love.

His, by Grace,

Steve