Patience is a Virtue

God is Love

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.   It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  1 Corinthians 13:3-5

Maybe you struggle with patience while you stand in line, are put on hold, or wait for a response to an important question….What about people who wait a lifetime to see change in a loved one and never loose hope?  The people who care for a special needs child or a parent who no longer can care for themselves….Their patience is amazing.  Maybe their strength comes from something greater than themselves – possibly it stems from a love that is so deep it can’t be described. 

That indescribable love is the same kind of love that God has for each one of us.  He waits patiently for us to acknowledge Him as Creator and Giver of all things and invite Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of our lives.  He won’t force you but He’ll never stop pursuing you.  He waits patiently, eagerly, lovingly.

For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.   Matthew 7:8

Because God is love, He waits patiently for us to accept Jesus as Lord of our lives.

 

Careful What You Ask For

God is Goodness

he rained down manna for the people to eat, he gave them the grain of heaven. Psalm 78:24

I want it all and I want it now!  That sounds like a battle cry from many people we know, and maybe even ourselves at times.  What is so interesting is that same selfish desire probably hasn’t changed much since creation.  Eve had everything she could possibly want, but she had to have the forbidden apple too. And the Israelites were not satisfied with just manna from heaven – they demanded meat.  While in the desert outside of Egypt, God had provided just enough for them to be sustained, and He never provided too much so they would continue to trust in Him for their provision.  But God grew tired of their grumbling and let them have their way.  They feasted on quail to their hearts delight, however, their lack of trust angered the Lord and they were all destroyed.

Thousands of years have passed since these events happened, but people’s wants and needs have not changed.  Nor has God’s goodness changed, always providing the perfect amount.  It is just sometimes we don’t think we’ve been given enough or we don’t see from where our provision truly comes.

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31

 

Because God is Goodness, we can trust that all our needs will be met through Christ.

 

People Pleasers

God is Love

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

The world is full of people pleasers.  And while that is a good thing for those of us who are service providers, we all know it is exhausting, if not impossible, to constantly please others.  Looking at the motive, we see ourselves striving for acceptance and love.  To win over hearts, we can fall into the trap of believing we must earn acceptance.  And often we find no matter what we do or say, it is never enough to feel at peace. 

But the Bible tells us that we are loved and accepted unconditionally by God.  We can never be separated from God’s love no matter what we do or don’t do.  And, no good works will provide that love, because it is a gift from God.  God loved us first and chose us to be in a relationship with him – nothing is required to receive the gift other than the desire to accept God’s saving grace which was made available to us through Jesus.  We don’t need to be perfect, we just need to be His.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Because God is Love, through Christ we are completely loved and accepted.

 

Removing Impurities

God is Holy

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; ...  Malachi 3:3 

Let’s face it - No one likes to change their ways or habits, no matter how destructive they may be or how necessary.  While the status quo is always easiest, deep down, we all admit there are some things we’d like to change about ourselves.  Maybe it’s having more patience with a co-worker, or having a higher level of integrity at work; maybe it’s being more of a team player, or being more charitable….

The bible tells us that God is constantly at work refining our character. Just like the silversmith that removes impurities in metal over a blazing fire, God places us in hot spots to perfect our character.  Daily, we can find ourselves in situations that challenge us to move in a new direction, to extend grace, forgiveness, or a helping hand when we would not otherwise.  We have two choices – to stay on the same path or to be like Jesus in our thoughts and actions.  But how many of us choose the latter?  If we trust God and obey His word at times of testing, we will find that just like silver, imperfections in our character are removed allowing His reflection in our life to become real and visible to those around us.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8
 

Because God is holy, He continues to perfect our character through difficult circumstances.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

God is Unchanging

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8

There seems to be some optimism about the economy; indicators are starting to look better. You could say there appears to be a “light at the end of the tunnel”. For some, this could mean regaining employment or closing a deal; for others, recovery from an illness, addiction or severed relationship.  But while we long for things to change for the better, we all know there is no guarantee that the good times will last forever.

But, there is one guarantee that we should never forget–God’s promise to us that no matter what the sin, circumstance or struggle, Jesus will be there for us.  He was sent from God to save us from our sins, to heal our pain and redeem us.  The one thing we know for sure is we can trust God – For He is unchanging, consistent, the beginning and the end, no matter what the circumstance.  He is the light at the end of our tunnel that will never fail. 

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12

Because God is unchanging, we can always trust God to be with us.

 

Vision Trumps Fear

God is All Powerful

 So the king asked me, "Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart."  I was very much afraid, 

Nehemiah 2:2

Our greatest obstacle to accomplishing a goal is fear.  Fear can conjure up a slew of reasons why the task can not be accomplished.  Fear can immobilize. Fear can stop us dead in our tracks.  So how can we resist or defeat fear?

When Nehemiah stepped into his vision to rebuild the broken walls and gates around Jerusalem, he was afraid to approach the King to ask for permission and resources.  Knowing this was a grand vision from God, Nehemiah’s fear dissolved when he placed his confidence in God.  Ultimately, his vision became reality, an inspiration to many as he was able to accomplish an unbelievable task, a “God-sized” goal -- all because Nehemiah overcame his fear by trusting God.

We all have a dream or a vision to be passionate about -- a vision about our lives, our careers, our families, our finances ….So what is stopping you?  Is your fear bigger than your vision and greater than your faith? 

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me? Psalm 56:11  

Because God is all powerful, we can accomplish great things when we trust God with the outcome.

 

Rejected Again?

God is Love

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  II Corinthians 4:8-9

Kimberly Kennedy’s book Left at the Alter is a heart-wrenching depiction of rejection.  Could you imagine being told the night before your wedding that you would not be getting married the next day; that you were not loved by the person that you loved the most…?  No one likes rejection.  But it seems more common than we’d like to think – a rejected business proposal, a rejected invitation; a rejected date, or rejected affection…the list goes on. 

Even Jesus was rejected.  After his arrest, some of his best friends would not claim they knew him for fear they would suffer.  Isn’t it ironic that Jesus, the one who will never reject us is the one we so often reject?  He stands at the door and knocks, he wants to be a part of our life but so often we are too busy, too prideful, or perhaps, too foolish to accept Him… So why not run to God if you never have; or run back to God if you have strayed away?  Man may reject us, but God’s love for us is unchanging and we do not have to fear being rejected no matter what we do or say or think. 

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.  Revelation 3:20

Because God is Love, He will never reject you.