Patience.
Just saying the word makes you want to grimace or roll your eyes.
Patience.
But it seems as though we're always waiting for something. Waiting for a certain thing to happen, for one thing to begin and another to end. Waiting for more time or more money. Waiting for our marriage to get better or for our spouse to change. Waiting for the kids to grow up. Waiting for our prayers to be answered. But God says that waiting is good. That's because it produces patience in us.
Paul tells us that patience is a byproduct of having God’s Spirit living in us (Galatians 5:22). However, just because we’re waiting doesn’t mean that we’re being patient. And yet, we can't have patience without the waiting.
What does waiting on God do for us?
David says in Psalms 26:2-3, “Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart. For Your loving-kindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.” Sometimes waiting can reveal our true motives.
One pre-marriage counseling suggestion is to watch how your future spouse handles waiting for something to download on a slow computer, or how they react to being put on hold for 45 minutes waiting to ask a simple question about car insurance or something. Those periods of waiting really do test our character.
Another benefit of waiting is the anticipation that builds for whatever we’re waiting for. Consider the wonderful benefits of waiting to have sex until we’re married. Consider the benefits waiting to graduate before trying to find a career. These are just a few benefits that help us appreciate the rewards that are associated with something better, later.
Part of the problem is failing to see how God will use that wait time. Paul told Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:11-12, “But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you…” In context, he’s warning against the dangers of money. The temporary allurement of wealth can cause us to quit on the things that last forever. Money can end up being the antithesis of patience.
Hebrews 11:24-26, “By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt…”
So how do we get that Moses-like patience? Or the heart that truly pursues godliness even if I have to wait a long time for it?
We may need to pray for patience. It’s taboo in our culture to say that, but it’s true. What if Satan helped to promote that notion that praying for patience was a mistake? It would serve his purpose better than it would God’s purposes for your life.
Another step might be to re-evaluate what I’m doing while I’m waiting. We live in a multi-task culture that is always “finding something to do with our time.” So why not try that spiritually?
• Psalms 130:5, “I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, and in His word do I hope.”
• Micah 7:7, “But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation.”
Waiting on the Lord gives me the sense that something is going on, but I just can't see it at the moment. But I wait with eager anticipation to see what God is going to do.
For that, it leads me to be thankful. We’re constantly reminded in scripture to be thankful. Whether it’s in what Christ did on the cross, or for God’s design for the church, or even for our trials we face, God works amazing things through those who love Him.
And instead of complaining about our obstacles, we could keep quiet and do as Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” Complain less, pray more with thankfulness knit within every situation. Even if we don’t understand the situation.
But perhaps waiting on God, and demonstrating patience, is a powerful method for not giving up. He’s promised a reward to those that persevere through whatever happens to us (Revelations 2:10), and time after time epistles were written to churches urging them to stay in the game. Run as if you want to win, not like a quitter who stops when it gets too hard.
We might be surprised how much exercising patience grows our faith to unheard of levels. So pray, wait, thank God, be still, and press on towards what God is willing to do in you… if you’ll wait on His timing.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Spiritual peace
“What caused you to become homeless?” This is a common question we ask people that find themselves on the doorstep of a homeless organization I’ve helped with for years. The question is less for our benefit as it is for the person in trouble. The problem is that many don’t see the connection between their current situation and the decisions they made at an earlier date.
When I asked this question to a middle-aged man covered with scars and half blind he said, “I had to get away from where I was at; it was too dangerous for me.” Whether he made the connection between his druggy roommates and his now homeless situation I’m not sure, but I know that most of us find ourselves using the same kind of logic at times. We run from one problem only to be faced with another problem.
As we explore the Fruit of the Spirit, we come to peace in Paul’s list from Galatians 5:22. Peace is ultimately the absence of conflict or trouble. Peace is what most people want in their life. The man in the homeless office sought peace in the form of a place to stay; but based on that way of thinking, peace is always contingent upon our circumstances. What would he find at his new place to stay? Had his previous dwelling place been an answer to prayers for him at one point?
Conflict and struggles are part of life. In fact, every day will present a new series of struggles and difficulties to face. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Therefore finding peace in life takes a different way of looking at what I have to face. I ouldn’t know I had peace unless I knew what the opposite of peace looked like. For the Israelites, they had known struggle and conflict most of their existence as God’s chosen people. Yet perhaps like the homeless man seeking help, many of their struggles were brought on because they ran from one problem to find another one around the corner. From seeking gods to finish what Moses started at Mt. Sinai to Judah turning to Egypt for deliverance from the countries God sent to chastise the rebellious Jews, Israel seemed to remain in a state of struggle and conflict.
However, perhaps as we think about the words of the angels to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, we can appreciate what they were announcing. They shouted out in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Immanuel, God with us, would not only pay the penalty of our sins which bring us struggles in life, he also modeled a way to stay focused through the struggles we face.
Paul said in Romans 2:7-10, “To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath, and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
God’s way of living gives us a new perspective of the events we face in life. We may not always understand them, but the more we learn to trust God to work something good from our situation, the more likely we’ll understand God’s kind of peace. This opens another dilemma, which is, “Will I find peace if I continue down the same road I’m heading down that caused me so much trouble?” Just because we look for God to make something good of our mess doesn’t mean we’ll truly grasp Godly peace. Godly peace is a product of “walking according to the Spirit.” Paul concludes the list of Spiritual qualities produced in those who love him and obey him this way in Galatians 5:24-26, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”
Godly peace is a product of listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which is directed by God and His eternal words given to us.
Ultimately, the struggles that many of us face are because we are engaged in a battle of the wills -- my will verses God’s will. When I follow my will, I am more likely to find myself in a situation tied to the consequences of living selfishly. However, when I follow God’s will, even if I go through a horrific experience, I’ll find myself walking hand in hand with God as He leads me towards the eternal rewards prepared for those who love him. A place that truly is a picture of real and lasting peace.
The angels had a good reason to be excited for the peace that Jesus would bring to earth, but it wasn’t about the absence of struggles but a new way to look at them until we reach the home God has promised us.
When I asked this question to a middle-aged man covered with scars and half blind he said, “I had to get away from where I was at; it was too dangerous for me.” Whether he made the connection between his druggy roommates and his now homeless situation I’m not sure, but I know that most of us find ourselves using the same kind of logic at times. We run from one problem only to be faced with another problem.
As we explore the Fruit of the Spirit, we come to peace in Paul’s list from Galatians 5:22. Peace is ultimately the absence of conflict or trouble. Peace is what most people want in their life. The man in the homeless office sought peace in the form of a place to stay; but based on that way of thinking, peace is always contingent upon our circumstances. What would he find at his new place to stay? Had his previous dwelling place been an answer to prayers for him at one point?
Conflict and struggles are part of life. In fact, every day will present a new series of struggles and difficulties to face. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Therefore finding peace in life takes a different way of looking at what I have to face. I ouldn’t know I had peace unless I knew what the opposite of peace looked like. For the Israelites, they had known struggle and conflict most of their existence as God’s chosen people. Yet perhaps like the homeless man seeking help, many of their struggles were brought on because they ran from one problem to find another one around the corner. From seeking gods to finish what Moses started at Mt. Sinai to Judah turning to Egypt for deliverance from the countries God sent to chastise the rebellious Jews, Israel seemed to remain in a state of struggle and conflict.
However, perhaps as we think about the words of the angels to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, we can appreciate what they were announcing. They shouted out in Luke 2:14, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” Immanuel, God with us, would not only pay the penalty of our sins which bring us struggles in life, he also modeled a way to stay focused through the struggles we face.
Paul said in Romans 2:7-10, “To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath, and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
God’s way of living gives us a new perspective of the events we face in life. We may not always understand them, but the more we learn to trust God to work something good from our situation, the more likely we’ll understand God’s kind of peace. This opens another dilemma, which is, “Will I find peace if I continue down the same road I’m heading down that caused me so much trouble?” Just because we look for God to make something good of our mess doesn’t mean we’ll truly grasp Godly peace. Godly peace is a product of “walking according to the Spirit.” Paul concludes the list of Spiritual qualities produced in those who love him and obey him this way in Galatians 5:24-26, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.”
Godly peace is a product of listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, which is directed by God and His eternal words given to us.
Ultimately, the struggles that many of us face are because we are engaged in a battle of the wills -- my will verses God’s will. When I follow my will, I am more likely to find myself in a situation tied to the consequences of living selfishly. However, when I follow God’s will, even if I go through a horrific experience, I’ll find myself walking hand in hand with God as He leads me towards the eternal rewards prepared for those who love him. A place that truly is a picture of real and lasting peace.
The angels had a good reason to be excited for the peace that Jesus would bring to earth, but it wasn’t about the absence of struggles but a new way to look at them until we reach the home God has promised us.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Spiritual Joy
Salvation has often been equated to a gift that can only be enjoyed if we take it. God won’t force us to accept his tremendous mercy and kindness, but why wouldn’t you want it? It’s a valid question that has boggled the minds of passionate evangelists throughout the ages, “Why wouldn’t someone want to go to heaven?” Yet as Jesus says in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
The Bible is filled with passages that help us see just how wonderful heaven will be, and how loving God is to make the way there possible for us. One of the most quoted passages in scripture speak to this; in John 3:16-21, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” However, it goes on to explain who can have this promise and why someone wouldn’t want it. He says, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
How awful it will be for those who reject the wonderful offer of salvation made possible through what Christ did on the cross. However, how about the person that refuses to receive the gifts given to the believer?
We’re told that at the point when we recognize our need for a savior and turn to him we receive a powerful gift. Acts 2:38-39, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
At our conversion, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and a large portion of the New Testament is helping Christians understand how to live by the guidance of the Spirit rather than the guidance of the flesh, or worldly things. Paul says in Galatians 5:22 that among the “Fruits of the Spirit” is joy.
Once the church began on the Day of Pentecost a new and exciting attitude swept over the believers. People eagerly sold property to help others, they met together every day studying scripture, praying together. Acts 2:46-47 says, “They were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” They really enjoyed the fellowship of other Christians.
Joy is a byproduct of living according to the Spirit, but is it something that many Christians experience? It seems so common to meet Christians that look and act like they’re miserable. Is this what the Spirit produces within us?
Many scholars have debated over the centuries about what it means to “quench the Spirit,” which is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, but also mentioned a little differently in Ephesians 4:30-32, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
It saddens God to see us live contrary to what the Spirit guides us towards. Perhaps this is where Christians should seriously consider what it means when I live a life of constant negativity, or complaining, or any other attribute that diminishes the Spirit of God. At the risk of undermining the grace of God, when does a person unwilling to submit to the guidance of the Spirit fall from God’s grace? When does a person close their heart to such a degree that joy can’t be seen in their life? And, how might that impact the very message Christ gave us to spread to the lost and dying people of the world?
My hope is that we completely accept the gift of God, and in trusting faith, give our worries over to God, and by that process, experience the wonderful joy that comes from doing just that. Let’s encourage one another as long as we can… and do it with joy.
The Bible is filled with passages that help us see just how wonderful heaven will be, and how loving God is to make the way there possible for us. One of the most quoted passages in scripture speak to this; in John 3:16-21, “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” However, it goes on to explain who can have this promise and why someone wouldn’t want it. He says, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”
How awful it will be for those who reject the wonderful offer of salvation made possible through what Christ did on the cross. However, how about the person that refuses to receive the gifts given to the believer?
We’re told that at the point when we recognize our need for a savior and turn to him we receive a powerful gift. Acts 2:38-39, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
At our conversion, we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and a large portion of the New Testament is helping Christians understand how to live by the guidance of the Spirit rather than the guidance of the flesh, or worldly things. Paul says in Galatians 5:22 that among the “Fruits of the Spirit” is joy.
Once the church began on the Day of Pentecost a new and exciting attitude swept over the believers. People eagerly sold property to help others, they met together every day studying scripture, praying together. Acts 2:46-47 says, “They were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” They really enjoyed the fellowship of other Christians.
Joy is a byproduct of living according to the Spirit, but is it something that many Christians experience? It seems so common to meet Christians that look and act like they’re miserable. Is this what the Spirit produces within us?
Many scholars have debated over the centuries about what it means to “quench the Spirit,” which is referenced in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, but also mentioned a little differently in Ephesians 4:30-32, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
It saddens God to see us live contrary to what the Spirit guides us towards. Perhaps this is where Christians should seriously consider what it means when I live a life of constant negativity, or complaining, or any other attribute that diminishes the Spirit of God. At the risk of undermining the grace of God, when does a person unwilling to submit to the guidance of the Spirit fall from God’s grace? When does a person close their heart to such a degree that joy can’t be seen in their life? And, how might that impact the very message Christ gave us to spread to the lost and dying people of the world?
My hope is that we completely accept the gift of God, and in trusting faith, give our worries over to God, and by that process, experience the wonderful joy that comes from doing just that. Let’s encourage one another as long as we can… and do it with joy.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Spiritual Love
On Aug 23, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in hopes that he could inspire people to put an end to racism. But, on April 4, 1968 he was assassinated by James Earl Ray, who was a racist. The battle has not ended, and as anyone with eyes, ears, and a brain knows our nation is just as racist today as it was during the '60s.
The problem wasn’t in the speech; it wasn’t in the approach taken to eradicate racism; the problem was in people. People from all walks of life, every ethnic group, every social group, and every gender group all struggle with the darkness Satan pulls down around us. He so effectively blinds us that he ends up binding us to the pain of living according to the principles of this world. The result–pain and more pain. Pain within ourselves, and pain caused towards others.
In Paul’s recognition of the struggle, he said in Romans 7:21-25, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”
We are slaves to hate, to selfishness, to pain and depression. However, God did something through Christ that offered freedom. Paul continues by saying, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”
But how will Christ change the hatred I feel towards people because of my own prejudices? How will Christ alter my thinking so that I think first before I react in some harmful way? There is a gift God has given everyone who submits to Christ’s authority to rule over everything. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:37-39, “Now when the crowd who had gathered for the Feast of Pentecost heard the apostle’s speech, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
The good news is that God loves us enough to give us a heavenly tool, a part of Himself that will see past the temptations to be selfish, to be unkind, to ultimately be heartless. The challenge then is to identify how this gift works. How do I know when the Spirit is driving my reactions verses my own clouded heart?
Just as Jesus said that “you will know them by their fruits.” Just check out the context in Matthew 7:17-20, “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
So what is the fruit of having the Spirit control my thinking? Paul said in Galatians 5:22-24, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
The Spirit helps us understand God’s heart. The law that was given to Moses identified the actions God loves, but was never able to penetrate to the soul. It’s when God’s holy desires penetrate our hearts and we submit to His will, that’s when we see the strength to say NO to me and YES to Him.
The more I know what pleases God, the more I’ll recognize when the Spirit will nudge me in the right direction. This was exactly the result Jesus talked about in His parable of the soils. He says of the final soil, the productive Godly soil in Matthew 13:23, “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
God’s word reveals God’s heart. The gift God gives believers is what gives us the ability to live the way God lives. He has loved us so much, therefore we must love others that way. A feat only possible by having God’s Spirit directing our actions. Let’s truly “think of others as more important than ourselves” and change the world with God’s love.
The problem wasn’t in the speech; it wasn’t in the approach taken to eradicate racism; the problem was in people. People from all walks of life, every ethnic group, every social group, and every gender group all struggle with the darkness Satan pulls down around us. He so effectively blinds us that he ends up binding us to the pain of living according to the principles of this world. The result–pain and more pain. Pain within ourselves, and pain caused towards others.
In Paul’s recognition of the struggle, he said in Romans 7:21-25, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?”
We are slaves to hate, to selfishness, to pain and depression. However, God did something through Christ that offered freedom. Paul continues by saying, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”
But how will Christ change the hatred I feel towards people because of my own prejudices? How will Christ alter my thinking so that I think first before I react in some harmful way? There is a gift God has given everyone who submits to Christ’s authority to rule over everything. God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:37-39, “Now when the crowd who had gathered for the Feast of Pentecost heard the apostle’s speech, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’ Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
The good news is that God loves us enough to give us a heavenly tool, a part of Himself that will see past the temptations to be selfish, to be unkind, to ultimately be heartless. The challenge then is to identify how this gift works. How do I know when the Spirit is driving my reactions verses my own clouded heart?
Just as Jesus said that “you will know them by their fruits.” Just check out the context in Matthew 7:17-20, “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
So what is the fruit of having the Spirit control my thinking? Paul said in Galatians 5:22-24, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
The Spirit helps us understand God’s heart. The law that was given to Moses identified the actions God loves, but was never able to penetrate to the soul. It’s when God’s holy desires penetrate our hearts and we submit to His will, that’s when we see the strength to say NO to me and YES to Him.
The more I know what pleases God, the more I’ll recognize when the Spirit will nudge me in the right direction. This was exactly the result Jesus talked about in His parable of the soils. He says of the final soil, the productive Godly soil in Matthew 13:23, “And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
God’s word reveals God’s heart. The gift God gives believers is what gives us the ability to live the way God lives. He has loved us so much, therefore we must love others that way. A feat only possible by having God’s Spirit directing our actions. Let’s truly “think of others as more important than ourselves” and change the world with God’s love.