” he [God] endured their conduct for about forty years in the desesrt.” Acts 13:18
Whenever I have read about the period of the Exodus from Egypt, it talks about the Israelites wandering in the desert for forty years. Paul, here in his sermon, gets to the meat of the message- why they wandered. It was because of their conduct. And God endured it, over and over and over again because they were His people and He had a convenant with them.
He has a covenant with me, and with all believers, though the sacrifice His Son made on the cross. Jesus takes on our sins and God forgives – when we ask. Over and over and over again. Why? Because we are His people, His children and He is bound by His love towards us. The Psalms say God is long suffering. In other words, He endures a great deal from us- more than is humanly possible. And as His child, I need to be better at imitating that. Don’t you?
Dear Lord, I am humbled by Your mercy and endurance when it comes to my actions and sins. For it is our human nature to sin and fall short of Your glory. Help me to come to You to remove the log in my own eye before I comment on the speck in someone else’s eyes. Teach me more patience and endurance with those who get on my nerve or are not as loving as I would want them to be. Let me see them instead through Your eyes and in light of Your grace as I wander through this wilderness called life. And thank You for Your Son, who took on my sins upon the Cross so I may be in covenant with You on this journey. Amen.
“But you, O Lord, are a compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Turn to me and have mercy upon me…” Psalm 86:15-16a
