God’s Topshelf

Patience Is A Virtue, Patience Is A Virtue

Ξ August 31st, 2007 | → 6 Comments | ∇ Christian Living, Growing In The Lord |

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If I say it often enough, maybe I will start to believe it myself. Sigh. I’m one of those people who knows that patience is something I need. But, I’m also one of those people who want patience and want it NOW! Right NOW! You know the deal, right? “I don’t have time to wait for patience. Give to me right now or I’m going to find something else to stress about, got it?” That would be me.

Yesterday, I was teaching on patience too. I was impatiently waiting to see how many folks read the post. Okay, I really need to learn the lessons I am trying to teach. Physician, heal thyself! Maybe we should go over the scriptures from yesterday:

(James 1:2-4) My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have its perfect work, so that you may be perfect and entire, lacking nothing.

We are told to count it all joy when we fall into trials. I was reminded of that today when I realized that our income dropped about $600 this month. Now, that might not mean much to somebody who earns six figures but it was almost a third of our income. I wanted to scream out loud and hope the whole world heard it. But then, how does that help me with patience? Or give me joy? Not at all. We need to handle trials better than that. Now, I understand that this is a lesson in patience and I am getting ahold of that concept. If I can count it a joy because it IS a trial and IF I learn my lesson on patience, I will be enjoying the freedom of not having to worry about the situation in the first place.

I just want you to know how I came to that. During my time of prayer and Bible study before I write out these posts, three of the things that I ask God for are knowledge about the subject, understanding of it and wisdom. What does that have to do with patience, you ask? Patience, my friend. I will elaborate.

I ask for knowledge so that I can learn what God is teaching me. It gives me insight into the particular scripture I am focusing on at the moment. At that point, new information is being absorbed.

I ask for understanding because if that new information is rolled up in mystery, I cannot hope to do anything with the knowledge. That would be like having useless trivia. We all have small bits of trivia tucked up into the corners of our mind. Someday, they might actually be useful but it’s unlikely. What I strive for is to understand each part of the scripture and then put it all together. With the new information (knowledge) and the understanding of it, it can be applied to my situation.

I ask for wisdom because I need to know when, where and how to apply what I have learned and understood. Knowledge is useless if it is not applied properly to a situation. In fact, there is a saying that “a little knowledge is dangerous.” So true if there is no wisdom to put it to proper use.

Let’s say that you got a new garden tool, kitchen tool or tool to use in building things. If all you got was the tool itself but no owners manual on how it works, you would have nothing to go by. No knowledge. In reading the manual, if you did not understand it because it’s written in a foreign language, it would still be useless. And, if you did learn how to use the tool, if it was used for something it was not designed to work on, it could break or someone could get hurt.

Now, if we apply all that to the word (growl) patience, then we learn that it is important to God that we have it, that it’s not just about waiting for a shoe to drop but an active word, that we are not to be stressing over things because that would be against the peace of God that He says we are to have, that we can apply it to our lives or God would not have expected it of us.

So, applying all that to my situation, I will relax in the fact that we can survive this drop in pay just like we have countless other times and with our heads held high, seeking God instead of worrying about every little detail. Worry is the opposite of faith. I do not want to be caught without my faith shield on.

(Eph 6:11-18 Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world’s rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore take to yourselves the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Therefore stand, having your loins girded about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Above all, take the

shield of faith

, with which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.)

Yes, that was a lot of scripture there but when we start our days, we ought to put on the whole armor of God including the shield of faith. (another lesson, another day)

In the end, we will be fine because God is watching over us and our financial situation. He is doing what we have prayed about. It just seems to be a problem right now. Yet, I realized today that with our online income, we are replacing the loss we had from our other income. It is a blessed day.

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