Be Patient
By: Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
My hamburger isn’t ready yet? Is that cashier moving in slo mo or what? I’ve been praying all week for my spouse to smaarten up and nothing yet! Lord, when are You coming back, this world is getting ridiculous! For some reason, many people don’t grasp the fruit of the Spirit equally. There’s a tendancy to let patience slip right through their fingers. Thankfully, our God is a God of patience. Think about how long He waited for you to hear and obey His voice. Plus He works on a different timetable than we do or as Peter wrote, “with the Lord a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day,” which magnifies His patience even more. It is easy, living in such an instant gratifying society, to lose patience with people and things, but what is the first definiton of love in 1 Cor 13? Love is patient, love is kind. Those that love the Lord, have accepted His grace, are held to a higher standard. Sure, we may go nuts in a checkout line or driving with snowbirds, momentary lapses do happen, just make sure they are momentary. Our eyes should always be on the Lord, our hope and trust in Him, waiting patiently for Him to answer our prayers with His divine wisdom. We are finite people, our time here is short, but one day we will become infinite people and our memories of our struggles with patience will be mere wisps on the wind. But until that time, be thankful our heavenly Father is a God of patience, not wanting that any should perish, and be patient with others as He is patient with you.
Listening, are we really listening or just watching people’s lips move? For those of us that are hard of hearing, we do both and still miss a lot. Some people seem to be listening but all they’re really hearing is yada, yada, yada. A select few have a gift, a skill that all Christians should be trying to develope, and that is the ability to truly listen. Pastor Wes nailed it yesterday when he said, “Listening goes far beyond words.” We need to stop listening and start hearing! When you ask someone how they’re doing, do you really want to know? If you do, pay attention to hear what they are saying. Sharing worries and concerns isn’t easy for many, listen, hear what people are saying and sometimes what they are leaving unsaid. Do you sit in church every Sunday listening to the sermon or do you really hear it? Our Pastors spend more time in prayer and study than we do so they can help us recharge on Sunday to face the world on Monday! Hear what they are saying! Most importantly, are you hearing what God is saying to you? Do you seek His voice in His Word? Do you listen to Him or do you do all the talking? The Psalmist knew what he was talking about when he wrote, “Be still and know that I am God.” Hear Him, hear His Word, don’t just listen! Another great point Pastor Wes made was, “If you listen but don’t really hear, your actions will show it!” That totally explains what’s wrong in many churches today, they listen but don’t hear! We all need to plug in our listening devices so we can clearly hear one another, but even more so, that we can hear what God is saying to our hearts! So be ready, if someone asks if you “got your ears on” you can quickly reply “I hear ya brotha/sista!
In much of Jesus’ teachings, He used the religious leaders as examples what not to do. They loved being the ones in charge, being looked up to, being honored at feasts and social events. They loved being feared and revered, loved their fancy robes and oversized phylacteries, having the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the market places. But they hated doing what they told the people to do! We could make a film about them and call it “Religioscity,” but it would hit too close to home for too many religious leaders today! Much has changed, but much is still the same. You will never win a soul to Christ by pompous religioscity. The world is full of phonies and hypocrites, and the world weary heart can spot them a mile away. You want to make a difference and be great for the Lord? Remember His words in Matthew 23:11,12. “But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be abased and he who humbles himself will be exalted!” People don’t just want to be told you care, they want to be shown. Anyone who enters our church, regardless of their past failings, whatever they may be, should feel loved. Don’t go around telling people what a great Christian you are unless you’re going to live up to that statement. Prison vernacular says it best. Don’t talk the talk if you’re not going to walk the walk! More harm has been done to Christianity by pompous religioscity than anything else. So make sure from now on, you do your best to heal that harm by leading the way for being known as a Christian that walks their talk!
Jesus had a knack for silencing His critics. Like when the Saducees tried to trip Him up about the resurrection of the dead, He simply told them, “You are mistaken not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God … God is not the God of the dead but of the living.” The key there is the power of God. His awesomeness, His majesty, His power, how can finite minds begin to understand! He hung the stars in place, created a myriad of living creatures, He created you, of course He can resurrect the dead and give them new spiritual bodies! Heaven is going to be great, but as my earthly body is quickly decaying, that spiritual body may be one of the high points. Just as we cannot fully grasp the awesomeness of God, neither can we totally understand the glory of Heaven. Can you image a place where everyone actually gets along and where there are no politicians or personal agendas? So, don’t be sad you see, because nothing is impossible for God. If He promised it, it will happen. Keep trusting in the Lord and get ready to dance on streets of gold with knees that really work!
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team