Christ-follower, Husband, Dad, Pastor

patience

September 23, 2013

Faith + Patience = Promise Fulfilled

God always makes good on His promises. God promises; faith believes it, hope anticipates it, and patience awaits it.

The writer of Hebrews coupled patience with faith as a requirement for receiving God’s promises. “We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised” (Hebrews 6:12 NIV). Eugene Peterson paraphases, “Don’t drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them” (MSG).

Abraham is lifted up as an example of sticking it out to the end, “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised” (Hebrews 6:15 NIV). Wait patiently. An old Alabama chicken farmer quipped, “you get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it open.” We can’t hurry God, but we can wait expectantly for what He has promised.

To get what is promised, we need:

  • Faith – To believe God’s Word, speak God’s Word, and act in agreement with God’s Word.
  • Patience – To remain the same from beginning to end, to calmly hold on until the end of the matter, and to be steadfast.

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Patience added to faith yields God’s promised fulfillment.

September 5, 2013

Divinely Resourced

Even when you feel drained, or life knocks you around, or you feel like you just can’t make it, God remains your source. Your connection to Heaven’s King puts you in a spot to be Divinely resourced. You have somewhere to go when you need strength to stand back up. There is good stuff held-back, waiting for the day you need them. Even if you think you are out of options, but God says you are not!

We also pray that you will be STRENGTHENED with all his glorious power so you will have all the ENDURANCE and PATIENCE you need. May you be filled with JOY, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the INHERITANCE that belongs to his people, who live in the light. (Colossians 1:11-12 NLT)

Paul prayed for strength and his prayer provides an open door for us to ask God for strength. Pray for strength.

You and I can be strengthened by His Glorious Power! Father God provides for His children with abundant, ready supply. Author and noted New Testament translator, J.B. Phillips proclaimed, “God is the great reality. His resources are available and endless. His promises are real and glorious, beyond our wildest dreams.”

We are Divinely Resourced! Heavenly Fathers delivers  endurance, patience, joy, inheritance.

#1 ENDURANCE

You have an endurance reserve. Often God perplexingly and mysteriously seems to place His children in positions of profound difficulty, situations that try resolve and test persistence. But, God never let more come your way that you are able to handle – with His help.

Sometimes we pray for the easy way out of adversity, instead of asking for strength to go forward or expecting God’s comfort. We want no persecution, no pain, no discomfort, no hardship. We beg God to get us out of difficult circumstances, but could God want glory from bringing us through the insurmountable obstacle? Everything that He accomplishes in our lives is for our benefit, but it is also for His glory.

God will deliver you and will provide you a reservoir of strength, but in doing so He will get glory and He will give you a lesson that you will never forget. Even when you think your tank is empty, you have a Divine reserve for endurance.

#2 PATIENCE

You have a patience supply. Paul lists patience as a fruit of Holy Spirit (Galatians 5) and our choice to  yield to Holy Spirit is superblooming-fertilizer for patience.

I chuckled to hear of the sign hanging in a Texas country store, “Be patient. None of us am perfect.”
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Patience really isn’t optional; God commands, “Be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14b NIV). I have been told that a Greek word for patience carries the literal idea of “taking a long time to boil.” Hmm. How long does it take you boil?

Pray. Invite the Holy Spirit to develop Christlike character within you. Tap into the Divine supply of patience.

#3 JOY

You have a joy source. The joy of the Lord is your strength but His joy cannot be equated to how most people view “happiness.” The materialism of American culture pushes people to look for happiness in a having MORE STUFF. However, Jesus tells us, “a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). American society values the pursuit of happiness and some folks mistakenly assume praying the “sinner’s prayer” automatically releases this kind of stuff-minded happiness.

Being born again gets you into the kingdom of God, but to be a joyful Christian, you have to get the kingdom of God into you. Our minds need to be renewed and retrained, our faith needs to be exercised, our lifestyles need to be transformed, and all of this happens as we continue to yield to the Holy Spirit. Joy is available even when circumstances are deplorable. Why? Because our joy is ultimately based on the finished work of Christ and Christ’s death and resurrection opens the way for us to live in the kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12).

#4 INHERITANCE

You have a Divine inheritance. In Colossians 1:12-14, Paul reminds of readers of the present and future victory we enjoy as believers. God divinely positions His children to prosper and succeed in what He has called them to do. Believers are blessed – empowered to prosper and succeed in every area of life so that they experience satisfaction, fulfillment, full joy, and success.

James Hudson Taylor, the famous Christian missionary to China and founder of China Inland Mission, wrote:

It does not matter where He places me or how. That is rather for Him to consider than for me. For the easiest positions He must give grace; and in the most difficult His grace is sufficient. So, if God places me in great perplexity, must He not give me much guidance? In positions of great difficulty, much grace? In circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? As to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible, or so difficult; but the weight and strain are all gone. His resources are mine, for He is mine. (Draper’s Book, p.7481.)

God isn’t finished yet; the story isn’t over; Divine resources are not yet exhausted. Paul encourages, “this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NLT).

God remembers you, even when you have failed and let Him down again and again. You can confidently pray and call upon Him in your desperate need. With the God who provides as your source, you are never out of options.You will discover you are Divinely resourced.

August 12, 2013

I Can’t Fast-Forward Life

Did you see any movies over the summer with LONG previews, trailers, and advertisements before the main feature? I went to see a couple of movies this summer with particularly long preliminaries. Long trailers for boring movies, long advertisements for stuff I didn’t need – I wanted to just jump ahead to the good stuff.

Recently, our family rented “The Impossible” DVD, and I quickly pressed the menu button to jump beyond whatever was placed before the movie. Netflix and DVRs have spoiled me. Have you ever wanted to fast-forward through the advertisements and get to the main feature?

Waiting isn’t something I have to do often in the American-paced culture of which I am a part. We like instant EVERYTHING. Could the comfort of my fast-forwarded, fast-food lifestyle spoil my patience for the things of God? I hope not, but I have a sense that it has.

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Okay, that hits home with me – God’s presence leads me. Lord, I can’t fast-forward to the destination, so please help me to trust you each step of the journey.

“And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.” (Philippians 1:6 AMP)

May 13, 2013

Stop Nitpicking; Start Overlooking

My Grandma Martin told me the story of a woman longingly reminiscing the days before her wedding. “Before we were married you called me an angel,” the wife complained. “And now you don’t call me anything!”

Her husband fist-bumped his chest and said, “You ought to be glad I possess such self-control.”

I think my Dad’s greatest premarital tip was: “Go into marriage eyes wide open, half shut afterward.” Get all the facts before you get married. Make sure you know all you can about the person you are considering marrying. There will be plenty that you need to overlook after the ceremony.

In fact, some of the very things you think are cute before marriage, become irritating over the years.

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13 NLT)

“Put up with each other” (Colossians 3:13a CEV & GW)

You will destroy your marriage if you cannot learn to “put up with each other”. It sounds easy enough, but the walking out of it is harder than a two-year-old biscuit. Arguing over ever little issue erodes the foundation of martial life. Always pointing out the thing you don’t like, kills love.

I regularly have to remind myself of this. My wife is an excellent cook and I enjoy eating whatever she makes, but I have never liked the name she picked for one particular dish – “Mexican Goulash”. For some reason, that name doesn’t seem appetizing.  Let me reiterate, I like Patti’s cooking! But, please, can we please call this dish by a new name. How about “Texas Stir-fry” or “Chili on a bed of rice and lettuce” or something else.

Okay, please drop those stones you are gathering to throw, I do appreciate my wife’s cooking. For whatever reason, I don’t like the name; don’t call it “Mexican Goulash”. After more than twenty-five years of marriage, you would probably think I would be “over” this already, but Patti rarely calls the dish by any other name. I think her mother coined the term. (Mema, what were you thinking?!?) About five years ago, Patti adopted “Texas Stir-Fry” for a few months, but when I keep complaining about the old name – she went back to the original.

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Honestly, does the name really matter? No, I tell myself. So why then, do I find myself still nitpicking about the name of that dish? Why haven’t I let it go? Apparently, I haven’t yet learned the lesson I am trying to communicate to you today. But, I am acknowledging that I have a problem. Nitpicking, nagging over trivial details, kills love. I have got to start overlooking!

“One word can start a war.”  (Jewish Proverb)

“Quarrels are the weapons of the weak.” (Jewish Proverb)

A pastor in Texas introduced a sermon with an excellent story of how one woman handled the irritations of marriage:

There was once a couple who had been married for 60 years. Throughout their life they had shared everything. They loved each other deeply. They had not kept any secrets from one another, except for a small shoebox that the wife kept in the top shelf of her closet. When they got married, she put the box there and asked her husband never to look inside of it and never to ask questions about its contents.

For 60 years the man honored his wife’s request. In fact, he forgot about the box until a day when his wife grew gravely ill, and the doctors were sure she had no way of recovering. So the man, putting his wife’s affairs into order, remembered that box in the top of her closet, got it down, and brought it to her at the hospital. He asked her if perhaps now they might be able to open it. She agreed. They opened the box, and inside were two crocheted dolls and a roll of money that totaled $95,000. The man was astonished.

The woman told her husband that the day before they were married, her grandmother told her that if she and her husband were ever to get into an argument with one another, they should work hard to reconcile, and if they were unable to reconcile, she should simply keep her mouth shut and crochet a doll.

The man was touched by this, because there were only two crocheted dolls in the box. He was amazed that over 60 years of marriage, they apparently had had only two conversations that they were unable to reconcile. Tears came to his eyes, and he grew even more deeply in love with this woman. Then he asked about the roll of money. “What’s with this?” he asked.

His wife said, “Well, every time I crocheted a doll, I sold it to a local craft fair for five dollars.” (David Daniels, from sermon titled “Meditation”)

Stop nitpicking; start overlooking.

February 13, 2013

7 Ways to Wrap the Gift of Encouragement

“The right word  at the right time—beautiful!” (Proverbs 15:23b MSG) The gift of encouragement is a beautiful thing.

A pastor was once asked to give an impromptu message to elementary students. The pastor selected and read: “Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you.”(Ephesians 4:29 GNT)

Then he asked the children, “How can we make our words help others?”

Several kids shouted out suggestions: “Tell the truth! Say nice things. Laugh! Don’t say, ‘stupid’! Don’t lie. Say, ‘I’m sorry’. Give compliments. Smile when you talk. Say, ‘I love you’!”

Pointing to a little girl waving her hand high in the air, the pastor asked, “How do you think  we can make our words good for other people?”

Her thoughtfully articulated answer surprised the pastor, “Our words should be wrapped like pretty birthday presents with ribbons and bows.”

I have been the recipient of such gifts of encouragement. Over the last twenty-five years, Elmer and Reba Hollingsworth encouraged me – with words, gifts, compliments, prayer, and love – far beyond my ability to count. Moments after Brother Elmer departed this earth to join his wife in heaven, I was talking with his daughter. Gail spoke of the praise he directed toward me. She repeated a phrase that I had heard Brother Elmer say to me many times: “You are one of the good ones!” His words were a gift to me.

I hope God adds more people like him into my life – people who understand the power of encouragement and who make their words a beautiful present.

“An encouraging word cheers a person up.”  (Proverbs 12:25b NLT)

There are so many ways to encourage the people around you and God’s Word offers plenty of practical advice for how to give encouragement. Experiment with these seven ways to wrap exquisitely the gift of encouragement.

#1  Do it today; don’t wait for tomorrow.

The right time to give encouragement is NOW! We are to “encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today.’” (Hebrews 3:13a NASB) “Encourage each other every day while you have the opportunity. If you do this, none of you will be deceived by sin and become stubborn.” (Hebrews 3:13 GW)

#2  Practice loving accountability.

Spur one another NOT to sin. “If you do this [encouragement], none of you will be deceived by sin and become stubborn.” (Hebrews 3:13b GW) “Say these things, and encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you.” (Titus 2:15 HCSB)

#3  Be sensitive to those around you.

“Encourage anyone who feels left out, help all who are weak, and be patient with everyone.” (1 Thessalonians 5:14b CEV)

#4  Be honest about what is going on in your own life.

Paul’s didn’t hide his imprisonment but used it as a public platform. “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.” (Philippians 1:14 NIV84)

#5  Exercise your spiritual gifting.

“If it is to encourage, then give encouragement!”  (Romans 12:8a NIV)

#6  Show appreciation for people who minister or serve well.

The enemy loves to discourage God’s servants, especially after success or victory. Learn from Hezekiah’s example: “Hezekiah spoke encouragingly to all the Levites who showed good insight in the things of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 30:22a NASB)

#7  Connect suggestions with unconditional love.

Wise parents know great patience is required in order for children to perceive and to receive advice. The old adage is right, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” Paul modeled this type of compassion, “We were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 NASB)

For another message spurred by Elmer Hollingsworth, check out 5 Principles from Jesus’ Prayer Life.

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