Our Lord's Patience means Salvation

i wonder why this verse never catch my eye until the other day as i was reading 2 Peter 3 for my Quiet time passage... "What does it really mean? So what if God is patience? What has it do with our salvation?" As i ponder upon it, it just struck me: How gracious God is! If not for His patience, we would have all gone to HELL! seriously! think about it: this earth is created by God some mere thousand years ago, so are we humans. But from the bible alone, men had done so many evils things against God. If I were God (thank God i'm not! :P), i would have long given up hope on this earthly beings!

WOW~ THANK YOU GOD for your PATIENCE.
Thank you for being patient with me. Without this, i would not have been saved.
Today, i can look back at my past and praise you for the works you had done & still doing in my life!
Today, i can look into my future with CONFIDENCE in YOU & know that You will be with me!
THANK YOU GOD! :)

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:
With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance.

@@@How this verse reminded me to be patient with my family too... So many times, i am so frustrated at their actions & hurtful words they say! sometimes i caught myself saying this: "how i wish they know u LORD! They don't even know what they are saying/doing!"
But God has put it plainly in this verse: His definition of "slow" is different from ours. For me at least, 'slowness' has a negative meaning attached to it. but for God, 'slowness' is coupled with his patience & love for us. How wonderful it is!

Just the last friday, my dear younger brother actually quoted a verse in mandarin from the bible! He even urged me to learn guitar well soon so that we can play and sing Chinese worship songs together with mum! :) How amazing is God's works in our lives! Pray that he'll accept Christ to his life very soon! :)

Also just today, another of the Fudan (Shanghai) exchange student (the one i'm closest to) received Christ! How wonderful God is! :) Pray that she'll grow strong in her walk with God n be a shining star to all around her when she goes back Fudan! :)

Thank YOu LORD! that i can look to you for patience towards my family & friends' salvation and to claim this promise that you will not let anyone in my family & among my friends to perish, but everyone to come to repentance!

Help me LORD, if you willing, to be a tool used by you, as a messenger of Your love & truth to them! :) use me LORD! :)

**14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this,
make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
15Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation,
just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters.
His letters contain some things that are hard to understand,
which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures,
to their own destruction.
17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this,
be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men
and fall from your secure position.
18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.