patience – The Jesus Chick

James 1:1-3~ James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

I don’t know about you, but when it comes to “counting it all joy,” I seem to lose my ability to count past 2 or 3 when midst of trials and tribulations. It is then that I am painfully aware of my elementary school fait1h. When it’s gumdrops and goodness I’m in like Flinn! This week I’ve working on a song for the weekend service titled “Praise His Name.” A beautiful Jeff and Sheri Easter song. The lyrics begin by saying “When you’re up against the wall, and your mountains seem so tall, and you realize that life’s not always fair, you can run away and hide, let the old man decide, or you can change your circumstances with a prayer.” Sometimes… my prayers have seemed little more than “God, get me out of this!”

James is speaking to Christians who have been scattered, literally run out of their homes and communities and forced into hiding to share the gospel. It is at this time in history that Christianity explodes! The harder they are pressed the more they burst out of their shells and the braver they become. There is no waving flags of surrender but rather shouts of “Palms of Victory, Crowns of Glory, Palms of Victory, I shall wear!”

If that don’t put a shout on you then your shouter is broken!

James words serve as a reminder to me today that troubles come, and troubles go, but in looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith there is no need to stay in my shell avoiding people, but rather sing the song of Victory. If we’ll allow it, those who rub us the wrong way can polish our shine for Jesus. Every time we’re tried it’s a runner’s test of endurance making us stronger. When we’re tried by fire, we’ll come out as gold. Those are not clichés, those are Bible and the Bible is truth.

I needed to be my own cheerleader this morning… I hope my words encouraged you!

Hebrews 10:35-36 ~ Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Waiting for the will of God… never my strong suit. I pray for it continually and then there are those times that I strive for it about 30 seconds. I’m just keeping it real. I’ve told you before, I am the poster child on what not to do. God must tell me again and again sometimes before I get it. Why He is so patient I don’t understand. I fully believe I was set apart for such a time as this and I don’t say those words lightly because I know from reading the scripture that those who do the will of God generally don’t have an easy time of it. Trouble befell them, their families were often caught up in it, they lost their lives and yet they rejoiced.

We know that scripture says our trouble here is just for a little while, and yet trouble can feel like an eternity when you’re in the midst of it. That’s why verses like Hebrews 10:35-36 are in the scripture.

On my way home from the office a few days ago I stopped at a convenience store and this cute little old lady, cute as can be was checking out in front of me. As always I was in a hurry; so when she pulled out her lottery tickets my stomach rolled over. True to form my eyes probably did too. I detest the lottery just so you know. It’s a waste of money and another way that the wicked get wealthy at the poor’s expense. So I waited as she cashed in her $3.00 win for two bottles of water and thought to myself, “Well at least praise God she didn’t buy beer with it.” And when she finished that transaction I gleefully thought my suffering was over. But no. She then had to determine what new flavors of destruction she was going to purchase by way of lottery tickets. I wanted to tell her that God had so much more for her, but she went on her way and I paid for my soda pop and walked out feeling discouraged.

Lottery tickets are a hoped for quick fix with your chances of winning 1 in 175,223,510. Of course that’s your chances of winning the Powerball, you may win a mesely dollar or ten. But in truth how much did you spend to win it? And the wicked laugh all the way to bank as you do without something good that God would have liked for you to have. God’s ways are not generally a quick fix but hallelujah they’re guaranteed!

C.S. Lewis once said “ There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way.’”

I’m not sure who this was written for today, other than me. But God’s word says to be confident in the reward, and patient, and that after His will is done you’ll receive the promise. The will of God? If you run that through a concordance what you’ll discover is that His will is around His service. He may use many other means to get there, but the end result should come back to His glory.

Want to know what’s not His will?

Matthew 18:14

Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

How are you serving today?

Tag: patience

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