pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: patience


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Claim All That He Offers

“Keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” – Romans 12: 11-12

It can be hard to always love others.    It can be hard to always be ‘Christian’ towards others.  It can even be hard to treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with love all the time.  These words of Paul provide us with some insights and guidance for how to love all in a manner worthy of Christ’s love.

‘Keeping our spiritual fervor’ involves staying in love with God – one of Reuben Job’s ‘Three Simple Rules’.  When we are in love with God we naturally want to serve others and to meet the needs we can meet.  We stay in love with God by practicing our spiritual disciplines – worship, prayer, study, fasting, …

When we are ‘joyful in hope’ we are living into the belief that Jesus will be there for us.  We are expectant that He will be present to us and as we live with hope in our hearts, we are filled with joy.  When we are ‘patient in affliction’ we are living into the belief that although we endure for a moment, that Jesus will be there when we reach the other side or the end of our present situation.  In the midst of trial, we know that He is there with us and will be there always.  This allows for patience.  With patience we can gain much from the trials of life.  When we are ‘faithful in prayer’ we are living into the belief that through talking with Jesus we draw nearer to Him and draw strength from Him.

Though these four practices we equip ourselves to better love all we encounter each day.  This blessing from Hebrews 13 is also ours if we claim it: “May the God of peace equip you with every good thing that you may do His will, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.”  He wants to equip us with spiritual fervor, joyful hope, patient enduring, and a faithful prayer life.  May we claim all that He has to offer as we live daily with Christ.

Scripture reference: Romans 12: 9-21


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Faithfulness and Love… and Patience

In Romans 9, Paul is in sorrow over the Israelites not seeing Jesus for who He was  – the Son of God, come to redeem the world.  It is a situation where he sees it, has the same background knowledge as them, and does not understand why they do not see it.  Have you ever been one either side of one of these situations in your life?  Maybe you were in the role of Paul and tried and tried to get someone to understand, but just couldn’t.

In this story it is God who is ultimately in this role.  The story also extends out past this current moment in the Bible.  And in this we see something amazing about God.  We can see God covenantal faithfulness and His steadfast love.  Despite all in the Old Testament and all that Jesus said and did, most of the Israelites do not come to understand who Jesus was and is.  Yet God continues to pursue the people of Israel even to this day!

Often I think it is the same with me.  After all of these years of walking with Christ, I still fall short.  At times my sin is that I think I am the one in charge.  Sometimes I take the credit.  Other times it is a thought or word that holds my sin.  But thank God for His faithfulness and love!  Sometimes I can’t imagine why He chooses to stick it out with me.  But He does.  Thank God for His patience too!

Scripture reference: Romans 9: 1-5


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God’s Great Patience

Sometimes it is a wonder that God chooses to stick with us and continues to be patient.  As a parent I can recall painful waitings as one of my children worked their way through figuring out something for themselves.  It would have been so much simpler (and less painful) for me to just jump in and tell them what to do or to fix their problem.  Just as God chose to let Abram grow into Abraham, we too must not rush in so that our children can grow into who God intends them to be.

And just as it was important for Abram or for our child to go through the process of growth, so too is it important for us in our faith journeys.  How many times God must have said, “Aaarrrggghhhh!!!”  over Abram’s choices.  How often he must do the same with me!  Yet, just as His love for us exceeds our love for Him, so too his faith in us exceeds our faith in Him.  And thank God!

From His eyes our growth must seem so painfully slow.  Remember the gospels and ponder this – how often Jesus must have looked at the disciples and wondered when they would get it?  In both God’s divine form and in His human form, He was and is oh so patient with us.  In His great love, He waits patiently for us to grow into the follower that He designed us to be.  I don’t really think God ever says ‘aarrgghh” about us.  I believe that God looks down upon us with great big loving eyes and a knowing smile on His face as we slowly grow into His plans for us.  How great is the Father’s love for us.  Oh how He loves you and me!!