The Joy of Patience?

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

(James 1:2–3, ESV)

Do you have Bible verses that you don't like?  Don't be offended by the question!  I am serious about it.  Well, I do have passages of Scripture that I don't like.  There are certain passages of Scripture that challenge me to go against the grain in my life.  

How about where Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Mt 5.44; Lk 6.27)?  There is nothing innate within me that wants to love my enemies.  There is nothing within me that wants to pray for those who hate me.  There is nothing within me...yes, this is true.  But there is the Divine nature that subverts the innate nature within Christians, and it is this Divine nature that enables us and empowers us to love our enemies.  It is this Divine nature that enables us to love those who persecute us.  This is exactly what Peter was writing about in 2 Peter 1:4.  We partake in the Divine nature and escape the desire of our sinful nature.

Have you identified any Scripture passages that are difficult for you?  James 1:2-3 is a passage that is difficult for me.  Steadfastness or patience is not a particularly glowing attribute of me.  I suspect that this may be true for many people.  We don't want to be patient when we feel like we have been wronged or when we are going through difficult times.  Our sinful nature wants to fight back.  Our sinful nature is angry.  However, the Divine nature is joyful.  Joy...in adversity?  It doesn't make sense.

John Wesley wrote in his notes on the New Testament about this passage that "joy is the highest degree of patience."  Think about that for a moment.  Joy is the highest degree of patience.  Adversity comes our way and there is nothing we can do about that.  But there is something we can do regarding how we respond to it.  Joy.  We allow the Divine nature to flow through our hearts and we respond with joy.

This week may have been a difficult week for you.  It has been for me.  I will allow the steadfast love of God to flow through me -- his Divine nature -- and be joyful in adversity.  This is the highest degree of patience.

More...God is with us!

And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

(Genesis 26:24, ESV)

Have you taken any time to serious think about God with us?  We celebrate the Advent season and talk about the incarnation of Christ and He being called Emmanuel which means "God with us."  But, has this moved passed an academic understanding in your life?  Has it become a life shattering fact that has effected every area of your life?

As I read through the Scriptures, I can't help but notice God reminding His people that He is with them.  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and so many more have experienced the life changing and shattering realization that God is with them.  Today, these words ring true to me as I read Hebrews 13 where I am reminded that God is with me, too.

I will live today with this in my mind.  I will live today looking at the specific areas where I notice God's presence.  I expect a peace overcome me today, and I suspect the same opportunity awaits you, too, as you experience God's nearness.

The Joy of Conversion

That’s the joy of conversion—not bringing God from some distant star, but knowing God by a change of nature.

A.W. Tozer.  Attributes of God: Journey to the Father's Heart. p. 136

How many of us honestly believe that God is with us?  How many of us believe that God is interested in the details of our lives, and He wants to be involved with what goes on with us?  If you are like me, there are been times -- too many to number, unfortunately -- that I believed that God was somewhere "out there" and was not concerned about what was going on in my life.  The intimacy of God was forgotten and His presence was subverted.  This was not because of anything God did...it was about how I pictured God and envisioned how He related to me.  

There were many reasons why I felt this way.  I felt I was not good enough.  I believed that there were too many problems and issues in my life for God to be concerned.  I thought only God was interested in the big stuff.  These feelings put roadblocks in my life, and they took my eyes off of God nearness.

I read in Zephaniah an amazing reminder of God's love and nearness.  Judah was quickly approaching their time of captivity.  The first several chapters are full of God's judgment and the impending demise coming to the people of Judah because of their rejection of God.  In the midst of Josiah's rule and his commitment to return the nation of Judah back to their covenantal relationship with the Lord, the Lord speaks through the prophet glimpses of grace and nearness in the midst of these words of doom.  Listen to these words from verse 5 of chapter 3:

The Lord within her is righteous; 

he does no injustice; 

every morning he shows forth his justice; 

each dawn he does not fail...

Don't read this too quickly.  You may miss the prepositional phrase "within her."  Re-read it and this time emphasize this prepositional phrase.  Do you see the glimpse of grace?  In the midst of their rejection of God and His covenant, God is with the people.  He is near them.  He is not standing on the outside; He is not commenting from afar off.  He is right there with the people.  God is with them.

How would your life change today if you truly believed that God is with you?  What things would you do?  What things would you stop doing?  How would your task list change?  How would your schedule change?  Who would you notice that you may have previously ignored?  For me, there would be a lot of changes.  

Be encouraged, the joy of salvation, my friends, is that God is near us.  We have not been abandoned.

Come together and do the right thing.

Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre...

(Genesis 25:9, ESV)

Let's bury our differences and do the honorable thing.  I am sure that there was contention between Isaac and Ishmael.  It was obvious that Isaac was Abraham's favorite.  Verse 5 says that "Abraham gave all he had to Isaac."  Is there any doubt that this caused contention between he and his half brothers and sisters.  But when Abraham died, the Bible tells us that Isaac and Ishmael buried there father.  Differences were laid aside for that moment.  They came together for that moment and did the right thing.

Over the years Christians have been quibbling about differences regarding non-essential theology.  Squabbles about how we worship and when we baptize have built walls between us.  The result of these differences has splintered our efforts to reach our world for Christ.  I say, let's adhere to the theology of the Apostle's Creed and/or the Nicene Creed and let's bury our other differences and do the honorable thing.  Let's reach our world for Christ.  Let's help build the Kingdom of God.  Let's be encouraged to deny ourselves and pick up our cross and follow Christ.  Let's love God and love people.  Besides, we are not alone in this.  Christ has promised in Matthew 28 that He will be with us as we do this honorable thing - Make disciples for Christ.

Will you join me?

Gazed in Silence

The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not.

(Genesis 24:21, ESV)

The servant of Abraham was given the task of finding a wife for Isaac.  He asked the Lord to make it unmistakably clear about who the Lord wanted Isaac to marry.  The fleece was that when he asked a woman to give him a drink, the one who offered to give water to his camels as well -- she would be the one whom the Lord had chosen to be Isaac's wife. 

As the servant was lifting up his head from this prayer, Rebekah was approaching.  The servant asked for a drink and she gave him a drink.  She also offered to give water to his camels.  It happened exactly how the servant asked, but the servant doubted.  Listen to the servant's response: "The man gazed at her in silence to learn whether the Lord had prospered his journey or not."

How many times have I asked God to do something for me or provide for me and when he does it, I still have doubts.  Lord, forgive me!  The Lord has proven Himself steadfast in His faithfulness.  I must walk obediently.