Sorry for posting this so late. I guess it serves as a good example of patience haha. I've still been blogging on allabout1.tv though so check that out!
So first things first. I like how the ASV calls patience 'longsuffering'.
We tend to think of patience as waiting for our food in a drive-thru. Or we think having patience is waiting ten minuets for an app to download.The truth is that patience is more than just waiting for stuff. We can't just sit around and wait for things to happen. The times where we have to be patient are times where we should be in preparation.
Patience is not synonymous with laziness. A lot of people (myself included) confuse patience with laziness. We figure that if God is going to do something great in us, we just have to sit around and wait for it to happen. It doesn't work that way, we need to be willing to work hard in times of patience.
Being patient with God isn't always easy, but we have to understand that some things take time. Also, God's desire is for changes to take place in our hearts and minds. For example, God doesn't want us to live in debt. However, having patience in that situation doesn't mean you wait outside your mailbox for a huge check, it means learning to pay off your debts slowly but surely. It'll take time, it won't be easy, but it will change your spending habits so you wont fall into that trap again. God will move, God will provide, and He will most certainly be there every step of the way. However, patience is work. We know that God's ways are higher than our ways. We should be good stewards and work until God moves.
Being patient with others is also tough. We easily get mad when others don't change as fast we think they should. But again, if it bothers us that much, we can't just sit around and wait for them to change. Pray for them, talk to them (In love of course), and be willing to help them. When someone is treating you like garbage, it's tough to be patient with them. But patience is a fruit that is rarely seen before it is fully ripened. Unlimited forgiveness will pay off in this area, maybe not in this life, but it will. One of my favorite Relient K quotes is "The end will justify the pain it took to get us there." Patience or lonsuffering that endures until the end will not be easy, but it will be worth it.
Patience with ourselves is more important that I think people realize. We are new creations in Christ, but we are also changing more and more to be like Him. That takes a long time. Most of us want to be free from sin, but how many of us are willing to do the work to get better? It will take time. All of us have a sin nature that we were born with, life with Christ is unnatural in a sense. It's a life that is different than what our culture and our desires would expect. We are in the world but not of the world. Living like Christ takes time, it's something that we have to learn. I didn't know math from the time I was born. I had to learn it. I had to start with the basics and mature a little bit before I could move on to things that were more complex. There were things I didn't understand at first but I knew that if I worked at it long enough I'd get it.
I remember when I first felt the call to youth ministry. I was so scared that I couldn't do it. I felt like I wasn't good enough, and I didn't know what I was doing. I was right. I can honestly say though, that God has done a tremendous work in me, I still have a ton to learn, but He is changing me. I have more confidence in my calling now than I ever have before, and my future is less intimidating and more exciting now than it has ever been. I've learned to be patient with myself and trust that I'll get it some day.
So, my challenge for you today is to be patient. Whether you struggle with unforgiveness, addiction, hatred, pride, or whatever, I challenge you to persevere, endure and be patient until the end. Be active in your patience, don't be lazy.
Thanks for reading!
-JDWayt
Friday, August 10, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Popular posts
-
Love is the greatest commandment. God is love. Love is greater than faith and hope. Love never fails. These are all things the Bible sa...
-
Peace. Most of the time when I think of peace I think of hippies holding signs that say something like "Make love not war." We t...
-
“It’s like a Michael Bay movie!” That’s how Jordan Costa and I would always describe our conversations. They were full of explosions,...
-
Sorry for posting this so late. I guess it serves as a good example of patience haha. I've still been blogging on allabout1.tv though s...
-
I spoke last Sunday on freedom in Christ. I've taken my notes and converted them into a blog. I've changed and added some things t...
-
Last Thursday was my first day back in the office since early December. Everything went back to normal …well…sort of. Thursday was al...
-
It's not hard to make me happy. I'm happy when I get paid on thursdays, I'm happy when I'm serving at the church, I'm...
-
I've recently been inspired by my favorite blogger/author, Jon Acuff. I was watching some of his youtube videos on blogging and I'...
-
I have a problem. I have a lot of hobbies but I can never find time to spend on them. I'm either too tired, too hungry, too busy, to...
-
There is very little I can offer you. I've been blogging since I was about 15 years old. Here I am 7 years later and I don't have m...