TOLERANCE OR INTELLIGENCE?
To be patient shows intelligence. Prov. 19:11, N.E.B.
Patience is often thought of more as a virtue than a sign of intelligence. Take, for example, the poor mother of five who does not lose her temper during the chaotic tug and pull of her offspring's growing-up years. Marveling at her ability to endure patiently, we go away impressed but not taught.
Patience is more than control over upset feelings. As our text today states, "To be patient shows intelligence." Now, that changes the picture! It moves us away from the mere exercise of tolerance toward a more reasoned and chosen posture. The mother of five probably has no more inherent emotional strength than any of us. She chooses to retain her patient bearing with her children because she understands that by doing so she is demonstrating to them that difficulties are worked through more effectively in the absence of agitated feelings. Her demeanor is thought through and deliberate.
We read 2 Peter 3:15: "Bear in mind that our Lord's patience with us is our salvation" (N.E.B.). To many Christians, that means we are walking on eggshells! Someday, according to their thinking, God is going to get rid of the whole mess and destroy the world with fire. And He might lose patience with us even before then--and send calamities upon us! We've all heard of "the judgment of God"!
The redeemed, standing on the sea of glass, will sing a song of their experience with the Lord God. They will praise Him for His dealings with them, announcing that they worship Him because He has revealed His judgments to them (Rev. 15:2-4). God's judgments are not the outpouring of His bad temper; they are His carefully weighed and executed decisions. Sometimes they involve allowing men to experience the results of their own bad choices.
God's patience is divine intelligence. He is demonstrating to us that anger never solves problems; it only complicates them. He knows that we need to learn to deal with correct information without feeling a need to appease His inflamed temper. He desires us to choose to function thoughtfully and reasonably, without imposing our frustrations on others. Impatience is a form of pressure to make others comply with one's wishes. Conduct achieved in this way is meaningless in the process of character development.
Frankly, I respect God! I think His manner of handling the chaos of this rebellious planet (me included!) is downright praiseworthy. For me this equals worship.
To be patient shows intelligence. Prov. 19:11, N.E.B.
Patience is often thought of more as a virtue than a sign of intelligence. Take, for example, the poor mother of five who does not lose her temper during the chaotic tug and pull of her offspring's growing-up years. Marveling at her ability to endure patiently, we go away impressed but not taught.
Patience is more than control over upset feelings. As our text today states, "To be patient shows intelligence." Now, that changes the picture! It moves us away from the mere exercise of tolerance toward a more reasoned and chosen posture. The mother of five probably has no more inherent emotional strength than any of us. She chooses to retain her patient bearing with her children because she understands that by doing so she is demonstrating to them that difficulties are worked through more effectively in the absence of agitated feelings. Her demeanor is thought through and deliberate.
We read 2 Peter 3:15: "Bear in mind that our Lord's patience with us is our salvation" (N.E.B.). To many Christians, that means we are walking on eggshells! Someday, according to their thinking, God is going to get rid of the whole mess and destroy the world with fire. And He might lose patience with us even before then--and send calamities upon us! We've all heard of "the judgment of God"!
The redeemed, standing on the sea of glass, will sing a song of their experience with the Lord God. They will praise Him for His dealings with them, announcing that they worship Him because He has revealed His judgments to them (Rev. 15:2-4). God's judgments are not the outpouring of His bad temper; they are His carefully weighed and executed decisions. Sometimes they involve allowing men to experience the results of their own bad choices.
God's patience is divine intelligence. He is demonstrating to us that anger never solves problems; it only complicates them. He knows that we need to learn to deal with correct information without feeling a need to appease His inflamed temper. He desires us to choose to function thoughtfully and reasonably, without imposing our frustrations on others. Impatience is a form of pressure to make others comply with one's wishes. Conduct achieved in this way is meaningless in the process of character development.
Frankly, I respect God! I think His manner of handling the chaos of this rebellious planet (me included!) is downright praiseworthy. For me this equals worship.
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