The Bible lays out a pattern for our behavior. God is loving, therefore, we must be loving (1 John 4:7-19). God is forgiving, therefore, we must be forgiving (Matt. 18:21-35). These patterns not only expect the fact of our imitation but also the measurement and length of imitation. Would this not also be true of His many other moral attributes? Consider just one.
“God is longsuffering toward us” (2 Pet. 3:9). How longsuffering is He? He is described as “the God of patience” (Rom. 15:5). Patience is His very nature. In the days of Noah, God’s “longsuffering waited” for 120 years (1 Pet. 3:20; Gen. 6:3). Does your patience with others “wait”? Would it wait for 120 years? God has set the bar for us!
Just as God is, He calls us to be “patient with all” (1 Thess. 5:14). The very first component of Godlike, agape love is patience (1 Cor. 13:4). Today, tomorrow and the rest of your life, people are going to do things to set you off. Will you respond with the longsuffering of God? Do you expect that’s how He will continue to respond to you?