God is Love 14

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,…” (Exodus 34:6  

          “God’s mercy means God’s goodness toward those in misery and distress. God’s grace means God’s goodness toward those who deserve only punishment. God’s patience means God’s goodness in withholding punishment toward those who sin over a period of time.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 200)


          Using our linguistic algebra, Love, love, compassionate and gracious love, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness….   Years ago, Sears spent a little while advertising “the softer side of Sears.” This is the softer side of love that we tend to think about when we use the word love. Love is merciful. Love is graceful. Love is patient. These are a side of love I almost dread discussing because it’s so easy to think that they are the only sides of love, or even the only important sides of love. 

         They are incredibly important. They are vastly important. They are not all-important. But, they are just as worthy of discussion as any of the others. Love does not give us what we deserve. It gives us more and less, even if we don’t understand it. For a long time, I’ve viewed patience as not imposing oneself on another as God. Another way to think of it is that patience is not requiring others to give us what we think we deserve but giving them time give us less or more of their own volition. Love does those things.