Patience

 

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives…patience.  Galatians 5:22

Many sleepless nights at home with sick children and living in Atlanta for a few years with an insane amount of traffic has taught me a little bit about the virtue of patience.

God’s word tells us that patience is actually a form of perseverance and endurance that allows us to respond to difficult circumstances with grace and self-control.

Patience is not a learned behavior as many would have you believe.  It’s actually the by-product of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer.

God promises that when the Holy Spirit is in us, he will produce more patience in our lives.

Patience

 

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives…patience.  Galatians 5:22

Many sleepless nights at home with sick children and living in Atlanta for a few years with an insane amount of traffic has taught me a little bit about the virtue of patience.

God’s word tells us that patience is actually a form of perseverance and endurance that allows us to respond to difficult circumstances with grace and self-control.

Patience is not a learned behavior as many would have you believe.  It’s actually the by-product of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer.

God promises that when the Holy Spirit is in us, he will produce more patience in our lives.

Patience

 

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives…patience.  Galatians 5:22

Many sleepless nights at home with sick children and living in Atlanta for a few years with an insane amount of traffic has taught me a little bit about the virtue of patience.

God’s word tells us that patience is actually a form of perseverance and endurance that allows us to respond to difficult circumstances with grace and self-control.

Patience is not a learned behavior as many would have you believe.  It’s actually the by-product of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer.

God promises that when the Holy Spirit is in us, he will produce more patience in our lives.

Patience

 

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives…patience.  Galatians 5:22

Many sleepless nights at home with sick children and living in Atlanta for a few years with an insane amount of traffic has taught me a little bit about the virtue of patience.

God’s word tells us that patience is actually a form of perseverance and endurance that allows us to respond to difficult circumstances with grace and self-control.

Patience is not a learned behavior as many would have you believe.  It’s actually the by-product of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer.

God promises that when the Holy Spirit is in us, he will produce more patience in our lives.

Patience

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives…patience.  Galatians 5:22

Many sleepless nights at home with sick children and living in Atlanta for a few years with an insane amount of traffic has taught me a little bit about the virtue of patience.

God’s word tells us that patience is actually a form of perseverance and endurance that allows us to respond to difficult circumstances with grace and self-control.

Patience is not a learned behavior as many would have you believe.  It’s actually the by-product of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer.

God promises that when the Holy Spirit is in us, he will produce more patience in our lives.

The Waiting

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5

In the age of instant ‘everything,’ waiting can be very difficult for me just as I suspect it also is for many other people.  Modern technology is both a blessing and a curse.  Don’t get me wrong, anyone that knows me would attest that I would personally have a hard time not being able to view someone’s back to school photos on a whim or play Pokémon GO (yes, I am STILL hooked two years later!) in my spare time. 

I call it a curse, because people expect to always reach you on a wireless device, via email, by texting, at any given time, at any given point, on any given day.   We have grown so accustomed to having everything instantaneously, no wonder it is so hard for us to be patient when God requires a season of waiting in our lives!

It’s in those moments that we are waiting on God to bless us that we must rely on our trust in Him.  When we choose not to trust in God with our needs, we become fearful and anxious.  The Bible is filled with many examples of God’s people remaining faithfully patient and trusting in Him, and no story better illustrates this than the night the disciples encountered a storm on the Sea of Galilee.   Every disciple on that boat thought that they were surely going to die, that was, until they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them.  With a simple command, Jesus silenced the storms and waves to be still.

The disciples learned how to trust Jesus during the worst of times, so while we are patiently waiting on Him to answer our prayers, chances are He is wanting us to reach out to Him and wait for His outstretched arm.

Patience

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives…patience.  Galatians 5:22

Many sleepless nights at home with sick children and living in Atlanta for a few years with an insane amount of traffic has taught me a little bit about the virtue of patience.

God’s word tells us that patience is actually a form of perseverance and endurance that allows us to respond to difficult circumstances with grace and self-control.

Patience is not a learned behavior as many would have you believe.  It’s actually the by-product of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the heart and mind of a believer.

God promises that when the Holy Spirit is in us, he will produce more patience in our lives.

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 my oldest son who is only four years old and am definitely impatient  when it comes to writing new business at work.

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!!!

The Waiting

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5

In the age of instant ‘everything,’ waiting can be very difficult for me just as I suspect it also is for many other people.  Modern technology is both a blessing and a curse.  Don’t get me wrong, anyone that knows me would attest that I would personally have a hard time not being able to view someone’s back to school photos on a whim or play Pokémon GO (yes, I am STILL hooked two years later!) in my spare time. 

I call it a curse, because people expect to always reach you on a wireless device, via email, by texting, at any given time, at any given point, on any given day.   We have grown so accustomed to having everything instantaneously, no wonder it is so hard for us to be patient when God requires a season of waiting in our lives!

It’s in those moments that we are waiting on God to bless us that we must rely on our trust in Him.  When we choose not to trust in God with our needs, we become fearful and anxious.  The Bible is filled with many examples of God’s people remaining faithfully patient and trusting in Him, and no story better illustrates this than the night the disciples encountered a storm on the Sea of Galilee.   Every disciple on that boat thought that they were surely going to die, that was, until they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them.  With a simple command, Jesus silenced the storms and waves to be still.

The disciples learned how to trust Jesus during the worst of times, so while we are patiently waiting on Him to answer our prayers, chances are He is wanting us to reach out to Him and wait for His outstretched arm.

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 my oldest son who is only four years old and am definitely impatient  when it comes to writing new business at work.

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!!!

The Waiting

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5

In the age of instant ‘everything,’ waiting can be very difficult for me just as I suspect it also is for many other people.  Modern technology is both a blessing and a curse.  Don’t get me wrong, anyone that knows me would attest that I would personally have a hard time not being able to view someone’s back to school photos on a whim or play Pokemon GO (yes, I am STILL hooked!) in my spare time. 

I call it a curse, because people expect to always reach you on a wireless device, via email, by texting, at any given time, at any given point, on any given day.   We have grown so accustomed to having everything instantaneously, no wonder it is so hard for us to be patient when God requires a season of waiting in our lives!

It’s in those moments that we are waiting on God to bless us that we must rely on our trust in Him.  When we choose not to trust in God with our needs, we become fearful and anxious.  The Bible is filled with many examples of God’s people remaining faithfully patient and trusting in Him, and no story better illustrates this than the night the disciples encountered a storm on the Sea of Galilee.   Every disciple on that boat thought that they were surely going to die, that was, until they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them.  With a simple command, Jesus silenced the storms and waves to be still.

The disciples learned how to trust Jesus during the worst of times, so while we are patiently waiting on Him to answer our prayers, chances are He is wanting us to reach out to Him and wait for His outstretched arm.

'40'

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  Psalm 40: 1-2

As much as I would like to believe I am a patient person, I am not.  Coming from Atlanta, where my daily 15-mile commute to work took me at least an hour and a half to drive, one way, you had no choice but to be patient.  We currently live in Knoxville, where you can make it from one end of town to the other in about 20 minutes, but some days, I grow very impatient and frustrated with some of the drivers here in East TN.

We all struggle with impatience at times and many of us have been doing it since birth.  For instance, both our sons are all smiles until they both want something and then they will proceed to nag and whine until they try to get their way.  We all want things instantly.

As adults, we still struggle with being patient, especially when it comes to God answering our prayers and petitions.  Dr. Charles Stanley says that it is ‘dangerous’ to grow impatient with God as “we might miss the Lord’s perfect plan and His blessings.”   

I believe Dr. Stanley is right on.  We must learn to accept what God gives us and sometimes what He does not give us so that we can live with peace and without stress.  While waiting, we should continue to converse with God through prayer, obey His commands and seek Him for direction.  Only when we trust Him and patiently wait for His good and perfect timing will we be at peace.

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 my oldest son who is only four years old and am definitely impatient  when it comes to writing new business at work.

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!!!

The Waiting

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5

In the age of instant ‘everything,’ waiting can be very difficult for me just as I suspect it also is for many other people.  Modern technology is both a blessing and a curse.  Don’t get me wrong, anyone that knows me would attest that I would personally have a hard time not being able to view someone’s back to school photos on a whim or play Pokemon GO (yes, I am hooked) in my spare time. 

I call it a curse, because people expect to always reach you on a wireless device, via email, by texting, at any given time, at any given point, on any given day.   We have grown so accustomed to having everything instantaneously, no wonder it is so hard for us to be patient when God requires a season of waiting in our lives!

It’s in those moments that we are waiting on God to bless us that we must rely on our trust in Him.  When we choose not to trust in God with our needs, we become fearful and anxious.  The Bible is filled with many examples of God’s people remaining faithfully patient and trusting in Him, and no story better illustrates this than the night the disciples encountered a storm on the Sea of Galilee.   Every disciple on that boat thought that they were surely going to die, that was, until they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them.  With a simple command, Jesus silenced the storms and waves to be still.

The disciples learned how to trust Jesus during the worst of times, so while we are patiently waiting on Him to answer our prayers, chances are He is wanting us to reach out to Him and wait for His outstretched arm.

'40'

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.  Psalm 40: 1-2

As much as I would like to believe I am a patient person, I am not.  Coming from Atlanta, where my daily 15-mile commute to work took me at least an hour and a half to drive, one way, you had no choice but to be patient.  We currently live in Knoxville, where you can make it from one end of town to the other in about 20 minutes, but some days, I grow very impatient and frustrated with some of the drivers here in East TN.

We all struggle with impatience at times and many of us have been doing it since birth.  For instance, both our sons are all smiles until they both want something and then they will proceed to nag and whine until they try to get their way.  We all want things instantly.

As adults, we still struggle with being patient, especially when it comes to God answering our prayers and petitions.  Dr. Charles Stanley says that it is ‘dangerous’ to grow impatient with God as “we might miss the Lord’s perfect plan and His blessings.”   

I believe Dr. Stanley is right on.  We must learn to accept what God gives us and sometimes what He does not give us so that we can live with peace and without stress.  While waiting, we should continue to converse with God through prayer, obey His commands and seek Him for direction.  Only when we trust Him and patiently wait for His good and perfect timing will we be at peace.

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 my oldest son who is only four years old and am definitely impatient  when it comes to writing new business at work.

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!!!

The Waiting

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5

In the age of instant ‘everything,’ waiting can be very difficult for me just as I suspect it also is for many other people.  Modern technology is both a blessing and a curse.  Don’t get me wrong, anyone that knows me would attest that I would personally have a hard time not being able to view someone’s family photos on a whim or play Words With Friends (yes, I still play on occasion) in my spare time. 

I call it a curse, because people expect to always reach you on a wireless device, via email, by texting, at any given time, at any given point, on any given day.   We have grown so accustomed to having everything instantaneously, no wonder it is so hard for us to be patient when God requires a season of waiting in our lives!

It’s in those moments that we are waiting on God to bless us that we must rely on our trust in Him.  When we choose not to trust in God with our needs, we become fearful and anxious.  The Bible is filled with many examples of God’s people remaining faithfully patient and trusting in Him, and no story better illustrates this than the night the disciples encountered a storm on the Sea of Galilee.   Every disciple on that boat thought that they were surely going to die, that was, until they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them.  With a simple command, Jesus silenced the storms and waves to be still.

The disciples learned how to trust Jesus during the worst of times, so while we are patiently waiting on Him to answer our prayers, chances are He is wanting us to reach out to Him and wait for His outstretched arm.

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 my oldest son who is only four years old and am definitely impatient  when it comes to writing new business at work.

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!!!

New Attitude

You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.  He humbled Himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death-even death on a cross!  Philippians 2:5-8

I was driving back to Knoxville after a meeting in Maryville yesterday around lunch time when a fairly large tow truck pulled out onto Alcoa Highway in front of me nearly causing a collision.  Luckily, I remembered that my car had a Cokesbury Church magnet on my back bumper or I would have probably reacted a bit more harshly.  There was a steady stream of traffic yesterday and I am sure the driver of the tow truck had grown impatient in waiting, but to risk a major accident is just uncalled for.  It's no wonder the number of "Road Rage" cases in the United States keeps growing larger and larger each and every year.

Twenty years ago, "Road Rage" wasn't even a commonly known phrase.  So what's happened?  Are we so used to having things instantly that we have forgotten what it is like to be patient and actually have to wait for something?  Coming from the horrid driving conditions I became accustomed to when we lived in Atlanta, the driving conditions in Knoxville aren’t really that bad.  Unfortunately, far too many people have no consideration for other people on the road nowadays.  Mix that together with advances in modern technology and we as a society don't understand the meaning of steadfastness or patience.  I believe that some of us even have a God-complex of our own. "My schedule is the only one that matters."  "I must get to where I am going, who cares about the person I just cut off on the exit ramp."  Sound familiar?

Take Paul's words about Jesus' attitude to heart...here is the Son of God, the One who can summon all the angels in heaven at any given moment, walking among us on this earth, going through the same struggles and trials that we all deal with to this very day. 

Jesus did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped.  Even more amazing, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death on the cross! You can't make this stuff up...He was, is, and will always be the genuine article.  His attitude is the one we should all try and replicate in our own lives.  I need to remember this the next time I sit behind the wheel of my car to drive, or when my wife calls me to see how my day is going, or when things are not going the way I'd like them to at the office, and so on and so on....imagine how different things would be if we had Jesus' attitude!

Little By Little

My friends, be patient until the Lord returns.  Think of farmers who wait patiently for the spring and summer rains to make their valuable crops grow.  Be patient like those farmers and don't give up.  The Lord will soon be here. (James 5: 7-8)

Well, our house is still standing and we survived the latest visit from my sister-in-law and her two children, both of which are a little older than our oldest son, who turns four this June.  Seeing how much my neice and nephew have grown up is truly remarkable to me.  It seems just like yesterday that they were both babies, wearing diapers and drinking bottles, like our youngest son, who will be eight months old later this week.  I have really learned to enjoy each day more the second time around rather than wishing that our infant son would grow up quicker and reach his next milestone.

When Elliott was a baby, I often found myself wishing that he would be able to crawl, and then walk, and then talk, etc. but looking back, I unknowingly was not patient and missed out on the simple joys of that stage of life.  After all, babies are low maintenece as long as they are able to nap, are fed on a strict schedule, and have clean diapers at all times. 

When we are impatient and wish our present day away, we miss out on many of the blessings that God has in store for us.  Whether it's a young couple counting the days down until their wedding day, a college student eager to graduate and begin work, a co-worker hoping for a promotion; all are wonderful and exciting, but don't forget to slow down and take the time to enjoy each and every day the Lord has given you!