Do You Know How to Have Patience?
Good Morning Friends,
We live in an age when people are easily provoked to anger and fear. I am no different. Today we live in a time when Christians are killed in the name of God. And I am not sure how I would react if confronted with this first hand. You see there is a scandal of persecution. A scandal of the cross. How are we to react? For some the response is to become less religious. For others, the Christian martyrs, it is an opportunity to witness. For others the bait for a sharp shooter. Does it make your blood boil or does it bewilder you? Friends, even Jesus had anger but it was not anger born out of another’s anger. It was a holy anger, a sanctified anger channeled in the right places. It is easy to overreact when faced with an angry person. In these situations scripture asks us to be slow to act and never quit listening. Our sudden anger is to be controlled. It does not bring about a righteous life. We are called to learn Christ’s way, to be gentle and sensitive, to be ready to forgive one another as thoroughly and as quickly as Christ forgave us. We are to hold our tongues for the right time and discern those opportunities where we can nudge an offense into a good thing even if it means for a time to overlook it. But to be honest, I can understand how one might follow the mindless crowd instead of wrestling with our emotions. But I hope that we would not be scandalized by the cross. I would hope we could learn to bear witness by defending the rights of others. Friends, the old way of anger in response to anger has to go. We are called to understand the source of the person’s anger and our own. And when we wake up from our sleep and either channel our holy anger in the right places or love boldly in the face of pain born anger, we turn over to God what perhaps only God can do. Here even a little of our love combined with God’s extravagant and perpetual love is as an act of mercy. So the test is whether we are all in. The test is whether we would be willing to suffer through the emotional sacrifice as an offering to God. So do you believe in the promise of His transformational power when we respond in the face of pain with love, with a gentle sensitivity? Do You Know How to Have Patience?
Scripture:
11 Those with good sense are slow to anger, and it is their glory to overlook an offence.
Proverbs 19:11 (NRSV)
2They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God.
John 16:2 (NRSV)
31Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 32and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.* 51Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2and live in love, as Christ loved us* and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 4:31-5:2 (NRSV)
7Be patient, therefore, beloved,* until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.*
9Beloved,* do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10As an example of suffering and patience, beloved,* take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
James 5:7-11 (NRSV)
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Psalm 27:14 (NRSV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s scripture from Hebrews is about the race set before us as a corporate body…as a cloud of witnesses. The image is not of an event of personal growth experienced in isolation. The focal point is for everyone to finish the race.
But here we find that the exercise of patience is one of the most difficult cardiovascular workouts in life. It forces us to face who we really are… It forces us to seek the heart of the matter…our very purpose as we concern ourselves with who we really are made to be corporately. Here in the middle of our wait training we can discover something very important. Friends, we have been planned… we have been formed…we have been created…we have been shaped…we have been made to love. Until we empty ourselves of all that we claim as our own we can never be filled with what God wants to pour into us. We are to live in the quiet confidence of patient trust.
So, let us be wise and victorious in our dealing with anger. Let us show a gentle and sensitive awareness of what anger is and what it does. When called, let us be ready to show love in the face of pain. When provoked let’s not overreact. Friends, overcome evil with good. Be bigger than the problem through the power of Christ’s love. Share the grandeur of the love and forgiveness of Christ…. for love is patient. And this kind of love is developed by living a life of faith… by developing a calm endurance that comes with the knowledge that God is in charge. James tells us the truth about this attitude of waiting for the harvest but Jesus demonstrated it. Remember how patient Jesus was… think about the prophets and Job and let them inspired you too… Let them compel you to be patient with others. Pursue patience friends. Know that we are to not judge the work of the Lord until it is completed. Victory requires persistence. Victory requires patience. Let the fruit ripen. When the time is right God will act.
Pray we grow in patience. Pray that we realize that our tribulations can indeed help us develop patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.
Pray that we find the power of purpose filled patience. Pray that we pass on the truth with great patience and proper instruction. Pray that we have patience with those who attempt to force their ways on us. Pray we trust in the Lord for patience and protection. Pray we do not deplete God’s patience. Pray we stop grumbling and start living patiently…start giving patiently…run the race with patience. Pray we know that the journey to joy along the road of patience requires endurance. Pray we press on to the goal with renewed energy born out of seeing things in the rhythm of God’s timing. Pray we realize that patience is one of the fruits of the spirit more often than not birthed out of tribulation. Pray for the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 