It's vital to the Christian life that we as sons and daughters of the Most High God

allow our affections to be stirred by the loving, powerful nature of our Heavenly Father.

Too often we feel that God is distant or separated from us. Too often we allow misconceptions

or lives to place a rift between us and experiencing God. So, as we spend time this week

focusing on God's character, allow who he is to stir up your desire to know him even more. Welcome to the First 15

podcast. First Corinthians 134 tells us love is patient. Patience is a part of love that doesn't feel fun at the beginning.

It feels like an act of self-control rather than a passion, as if the two aren't perfectly

connected, as it often comes across as a sign of weakness rather than an attribute of the

bold and powerful we so often admire.

But scripture teaches us a different view of patience.

2. Peter 3, 8, and 9 says,

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you,

not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

God, in his passionate desire for restored relationship with all his children,

has perfected patience towards us.

His passion leads him to patience.

And it is in his desire to see us grow in all manner of holiness and godliness that he waits to bring about the

restoration of all things to him with the coming of the new heavens and earth. Let's open our hearts

today to become more like our heavenly father and allow him to create in us a heart worthy of him who has so patiently loved us.

I fear that much of the bride of Christ is living day to day getting by until Jesus returns.

And I fear that in our complacency, we are not engaging in the purposes for which Christ came. God's intention here is to use us to bring

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