Patience: accepting a difficult situation without giving God a deadline to remove it. (Bill Gothard)
back it up with bible
Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
Revlations 2:3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Revelations 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
James 1:3,4 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Romans 5:3,4 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Hebrews 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
core christianity
Good things come to those who WAIT!
James 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
A friend sent us this short story and we couldn’t help but use it for today’s devotion. A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, age five and Ryan, three. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson so she said; “Now boys, if Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.” This story cracked me up, but how true is it of our lives? We want what we want and we want it now!
M.H. Lount taught that “God’s best gifts come slowly. We could not use them if they did not. Many a man, called of God to… a work in which he is pouring out his life, is convinced that the Lord means to bring his efforts to a successful conclusion. Nevertheless, even such a confident worker grows discouraged at times and worries because results do not come as rapidly as he would desire. But growth and strength in waiting are results often greater than the end so impatiently longed for. Paul had time to realize this as he lay in prison. Moses must have asked, ‘Why?’ many times during the delays in Midian and in the wilderness. Jesus Himself experienced the discipline of delay in His silent years before His great public ministry began.”
Perhaps you’ve been waiting on something for a long time and you’re weary. You’re not alone! Let’s ask the Lord to renew our hearts and desires today, and give us a fresh infilling of strength to wait on His perfect timing. Good things come to those who WAIT! (Worthy Devotions)
previously published
The way the Lord works in our lives and the way He chooses to do things is often past our comprehension. It’s mysterious, it’s humbling, and it usually takes faith and patience, because the Lord’s timetable is so often different from ours. Living for Jesus and following Him and doing His will and His work requires faith and trust and humility, because you’re not the one in control--Jesus is. We have to remind ourselves constantly that He knows best, that He does all things well, that His priorities are different and so much more long term and “big picture” than ours are.
(Jesus:) Your life is a test of faith. It’s good to realize that there are no exceptions when it comes to some of these tests of life and faith. I test you to strengthen you…In many ways the modern world fights against this simple faith and patience. In Bible times it was easier for My prophets to tarry months or years in a place when I told them to, or to wait years for My deliverance, because life moved slower. You are accustomed to e-mail and phone communication and the Internet and air travel, and the pace of your life and getting things done is much faster.
You tend to expect “e-mail speed” answers to prayer. And it’s not that I’m incapable of giving them to you. But that’s often not the best way to accomplish My long-term goals--and yours too, when it really comes down to it. Speedy deliverance from any difficulty isn’t always what will bear the best fruit in the long run. So you need patience. You should pray for patience. You should realize that you are naturally impatient because of the world you live in and the speed at which you are accustomed to things operating. You must realize that I often go slower, because that’s the better way to accomplish My purpose. Again, it comes back to faith.
Strengthen your faith. That’s the bottom line. Faith is the currency of the spiritual realm, and when you’ve really stood your ground with faith and endured, your faith will be the stronger for it. Endure, hold on, strengthen your faith. Read My Word and cherish it, whether or not it does anything for you on the surface. Learn to value the Word and faith for the treasure that it is in itself, not for what it does in obvious or instant ways. That is a key. (Faith--Now and Forever!)
make it personal
As per the “Think About It” quotation above, please speak to me about some examples of “difficult situations” that I have a hard time accepting or being patient about, and how I can exhibit more patience and trust in these scenarios.
