Patience

 

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will.  Then you will receive all that He has promised.  Hebrews 10:36

Patience is a trait evident in a person of strong character, so this is certainly an area of my life that needs drastic improvement.  I still get frustrated on my 20 minute commute between home and the office when traffic backs up.  I sometimes expect too much out of our boys (youngest in 10th Grade and the oldest a freshman in college) and am definitely impatient  when it comes to work; it's a hurry up and wait business on a good day.

The above verse from Hebrews confirms that we cannot have endurance or perseverance without developing some patience first.  As a follower of Christ, our faith will be tested, time after time.  As we pass each test, we will develop more patience, which will result in greater strength when we are tested again.

It’s when we are patient that we eventually receive the fulfillment of all that God has promised us.  Thanks be to God!!!

Hungry Heart

 

What is the price of two sparrows-one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it….So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.  Matthew 10:29-31

I believe that deep within every human heart lies a hunger for significance.  We all want our lives to mean something, to make a difference, and to be worth something.  For some reason, too many people feel that their lives don’t mean anything and they in fact feel insignificant.

I have a great friend who is sharp, witty, funny, and a good looking guy, but has absolutely no self-confidence whatsoever.  His feelings of insignificance have held him back for far too long.

The good news is that the Bible reassures all of us that we do matter and we are significant. The best part is that it is not because of anything we can accomplish on our own, but because God loves each of us and promises us that we are indeed valuable to Him!

The Question

 

He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. James 1:6

Just recently, Thomas (the disciple that doubted Jesus' death and resurrection) became a topic of conversation among friends.  I can only imagine that God wanted me write about him or better yet, wanted to reassure me to trust Him at all costs, despite some recent difficulties I have faced as of late.

People without solid faith are at the mercy of the winds when they face the storms of life.  They have a difficult time learning where God is leading them because their faith is not strong enough to discern God's voice and will for their lives.  When your faith is weakened, it's hard to see all that Jesus is doing to protect you and in the midst of a storm, this is a major problem.

We (myself-definitely included) need to expect God to answer our prayers, petitions, and needs, without doubting Him.  God desires to be in fellowship with us, to speak to us, and to meet with us.  Doubt makes us wonder whether interaction with God is even a possibility.

Open your heart and mind and trust God without doubt...if you want it you've got to believe.

Help!

 

Whenever they were in trouble and turned to the Lord, the God of Israel, and sought Him out, they found Him.  2 Chronicles 15:4

Simply stated, there just aren't too many people you depend on for help these days.  I am guilty of this to a degree.  Sometimes our life can become so overwhelmingly busy, we cannot afford the time to lend a helping hand to a family member, friend, or neighbor in need.

Thankfully, our awesome God works in drastically different ways.  God helps us by always being available.  He is always ready and willing to help us and to listen to us, whenever we call out to Him; any time, any day, any place, regardless of the situation.

Prayer is our lifeline and it connects us to our Father.  Knowing this, we should pray daily and receive the help that we truly need.

Rock

 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  Philippians 4:6

I recently read a fantastic devotional on the topic of trust-more specifically, trusting God.  The good Lord delivered that message in His perfect timing as I found myself on my knees, praying, and trying my best to trust Him with my current circumstances before the end of the work day on Monday.

The best way to overcome worry in your life is to have a greater awareness of God’s presence.  I like to look in the past at all that God has done for me over the course of my lifetime to know that He isn’t going to stop now because of my present circumstances.  I have faced all sorts of trials and circumstances during my lifetime, but no matter how big they were, God has always been and will always be bigger!

We must let God know that we do sincerely trust Him, with all of our being.  We must also continue to praise Him for all that He has done, all He is doing, and all He is going to do!  Doing so will give us greater calm to face the day with the confidence that we are loved by the King of all Kings, our Savior, our Provider, our Deliverer, and our Rock.

Good Times, Bad Times

 

Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him.  God is a refuge for us-a fortress and a high tower. Psalm 62:8

If I can be perfectly honest with my Daily DEVO readers for a moment, the last few weeks have been tough and has me questioning myself and God to some degree.  

 

To say that it's 'been busy' at work simply cannot begin to describe how the past few weeks have been for me and my team. There was a span of days this past month that I didn't wrap up the workday before the sun went down. Trying to assist my clients and insureds and keep them taken care of during what we would call a "hard market"  has been one of the single greatest challenges in my 26 years working as insurance broker.   Add personal responsibilities to the mix and you will start to come unraveled if you are not careful.

Like I have been known to do before, I have worked myself into a ‘funk’ now that I have been in for the past several days.  Regardless, I am feeling better now things really are going well at work, we have been blessed, just wish there was more time in each day. 

There are many things that just don't make sense to me right now, but I am convinced that I must rely on and trust God.  We cannot just trust God when things are going well, we must also learn to trust Him during bad times. I also believe that along the way on our journey with God, we will encounter many different trust tests with our loving Father.

We may never have all of the answers, but we must learn to live in our faith, trusting God in all circumstances.

Free Somehow

 

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, emancipation from bondage, freedom.  2 Corinthians 3:17

Jesus came to this earth for one reason, to set us free.  This freedom is sometimes misunderstood.  Being free doesn't mean that we are free to do whatever we feel like doing, instead it means that we have been set free from legalism so that we can follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. 

The legalistic mentality is what plagues our current society and it says that everybody has to do exactly the same things, the same way, all of the time.  This conflicts with the Spirit of God who leads us as individuals in unique and creative ways.

Jesus wants us to be free; free from sin, free from being manipulated and controlled, free from trying to be better than others, free from addictions and dependencies, and last but not least, free to be who you are!