A Point Worth Remembering

This morning, I ran across a post on the Gospel Coalition blog by Stephen Witmer titled Do Good in This World By Loving the Next. In it, he makes a very good point about God's patience as it relates to his mercy, and why he has not yet returned. He writes,


"Moreover, God manifests his mercy through our waiting. In 2 Peter 3, the apostle Peter reveals one of the key reasons God has not yet brought history to a conclusion. It is because he "is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). We must, "Count the patience of our Lord as salvation" (2 Peter 3:15). It turns out we are waiting for God because he is waiting for us. Scripture tells us God is very good at waiting. He is rich in kindness, patience, and forbearance (Romans 2:4; cf. Romans 9:22; 1 Peter 3:20). Paul says he received mercy in order that Jesus Christ "might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:16). Surely one of the most precious attributes of God is his patience. Our eternal future depends upon it."