Good Morning.
In 2 Peter 3:9 we are told “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.”
Two things jump out at me as I read this verse. The first, is God always keeps his promise. “He is not human that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind” (Numbers 23:19). The second, is God is patient. In preparing for this Sunday’s message God brought me back to Genesis chapter 15. There He made a covenant with Abram giving him many descendants and land to possess. Then God told him this:
“Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them fur hundred years…..you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete”.
Why did four generations have to pass before Abraham’s descendants could possess the land? The answer is because the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet complete. In other words, God was being kind; He was being patient with the Amorites. (A people who had turned from God). He was giving them time to repent. Judgement was going to come but God would not delight in their death. In fact, he does not delight in the death of anyone. His heart is that they would repent and live (Ezekiel 18:32). However, there comes a time when the day of Grace ends and God will not leave the guilty unpunished (Proverbs 11:21, Nahum 1:3). Still, He is patient, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance. Four generations had to pass before judgement fell upon the Amorites and maybe they thought God wasn’t watching or that he wasn’t going to do anything and so they kept on living in rebellion. Maybe you know someone with the same attitude. However, God always keeps His word. His patience and long suffering is not something we should take for granted. For the day of grace will eventually come to an end. Therefore…I exhort you to “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done (Psalm 105:1).
Now, allow me to share a few things with you.
First. A great big congratulations to Jack and Grace Taylor; married Saturday May 23rd. May God richly bless you as you follow Him all your days as husband and wife.
Second. I want to congratulate Mathew Rowley (many of you will remember Mathew as one of our guest speakers) as he has recently accepted the position of lead pastor at Cremona Country Fellowship in Alberta.
Third, we want to praise God for watching over Joan during this Covid_19 time. Unfortunately, the nursing home could not switch Joan’s food. As a result, Peter and his family have made the decision to bring Joan home. Joan is excited to be home! Isolation is difficult but especially so for those in Long Term Care. I encourage you to continue praying for those in LTC and thank God for how he continues to watch over them. Praise God for he is always good!
Lastly, I want to encourage you to pray for Leslie, Dave, Riley and Holley Milne. Leslie had a knee manipulation this past Monday. She is at home and has started physio again. Pray for God’s healing and rest as she recovers.
I know there are many more prayer items. Some of you may be struggling in silence. Know that your church family loves you and at any time you can reach me on my cell. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and call. Don’t be afraid to reach out to one of your brothers or sisters in Christ. We wait patiently for the day that we can gather together corporately for worship but also for a time when we can just sit and be together in fellowship.
May God richly bless you and your family.
Pastor Mike