...in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8:15)
Michelangelo said, ‘Genius is eternal patience.’ William Shakespeare wrote in Othello, back in 1604, ‘How poor are they that have not patience!’
Impatience is something the human race has struggled with since creation. It is a saddening reality that we constantly need to be reminded of the intrinsic value of patience. This repetition threatens to cliché the word, thieving the meaning from our consciousness.
Take time to reflect and ask yourself, what does patience mean to you in this fast-paced world? Counting to ten when a taxi cuts you off on the road? Taking a deep breath when someone has left out the milk and it turned sour? Ignoring the overdue manuscripts that have been at the editors forever and pressing on with new work? When I asked my friend what the word meant to him, he jokingly said, “not killing someone.”
It’s different for each of us, but what happens when you ask God for a blessing or even spiritual guidance when faced with a difficult decision? How does the Bible convey the potency of having the ability to wait on the Lord? Galatians 5:22 states ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness...’ certainly this NIV verse tells us something more about how God sees faithful patience in His children. Wouldn’t you agree that it is more than biting your lip when you feel like railing at a colleague?
I realise that God does not adjust His schedule to fit my calendar. No matter how much I throw tantrums, or cry out for Him to give me that which I think I so desperately need or, arrogantly, deserve.
Just as Jesus used the parable of the sower, we all go through seasons in our lives. When we ask and trust, God sows seeds in our lives then allows them to grow in the right season. When we exert these seedlings to mature out of season, they wither and die, and we lose the harvest.
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.
I’m reminded of how my mother prayed to God to take away her wealth if it would corrupt her soul. God put us through difficult years of poverty, teaching us one lesson after another. When we finally realised how the riches of our extended family had ruined their characters, morals and even their faith, I finally saw the poverty as a gift. Then I could thank God for the tribulation and trails.
When we ask our Father to bless our writing, patience in God’s timing means to sacrifice ourselves to His will. Further, it demands that we wholeheartedly accept that it might take years, or never even happen. Do we have the faith to wait a week, a month—years? We have to sacrifice our desire, passion and human understanding at the throne of God.
Prayer: Blessed Lord, please keep my soul from the threads of impatience, and guide me in Your perfect Will. Manifest a holy patience in me as a writer, so I can serve You through deed, thought and emotion. I pray, in Jesus’ Name, that Your blessings come to me at the right time and place, according to Your perfect Will, so I can bring Glory to Your powerful Name.
Thought for the day: Am I ready to patiently follow God after asking, and stop trying to lead through my own reasoning?
Prayer focus: Those who are obviously impatient, and need the Holy Spirit to give them peace.
David J. Ferreira, a devout Christian since childhood, studied at the University of South Africa, and has published Christian poetry, as well as his first Christian novel, David: The Warrior King, which follows the life and times of King David. Available in Christian bookstores in the USA and South Africa.
Michelangelo said, ‘Genius is eternal patience.’ William Shakespeare wrote in Othello, back in 1604, ‘How poor are they that have not patience!’
Impatience is something the human race has struggled with since creation. It is a saddening reality that we constantly need to be reminded of the intrinsic value of patience. This repetition threatens to cliché the word, thieving the meaning from our consciousness.
Take time to reflect and ask yourself, what does patience mean to you in this fast-paced world? Counting to ten when a taxi cuts you off on the road? Taking a deep breath when someone has left out the milk and it turned sour? Ignoring the overdue manuscripts that have been at the editors forever and pressing on with new work? When I asked my friend what the word meant to him, he jokingly said, “not killing someone.”
It’s different for each of us, but what happens when you ask God for a blessing or even spiritual guidance when faced with a difficult decision? How does the Bible convey the potency of having the ability to wait on the Lord? Galatians 5:22 states ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness...’ certainly this NIV verse tells us something more about how God sees faithful patience in His children. Wouldn’t you agree that it is more than biting your lip when you feel like railing at a colleague?
I realise that God does not adjust His schedule to fit my calendar. No matter how much I throw tantrums, or cry out for Him to give me that which I think I so desperately need or, arrogantly, deserve.
Just as Jesus used the parable of the sower, we all go through seasons in our lives. When we ask and trust, God sows seeds in our lives then allows them to grow in the right season. When we exert these seedlings to mature out of season, they wither and die, and we lose the harvest.
Patience is a fruit of the Spirit.
I’m reminded of how my mother prayed to God to take away her wealth if it would corrupt her soul. God put us through difficult years of poverty, teaching us one lesson after another. When we finally realised how the riches of our extended family had ruined their characters, morals and even their faith, I finally saw the poverty as a gift. Then I could thank God for the tribulation and trails.
When we ask our Father to bless our writing, patience in God’s timing means to sacrifice ourselves to His will. Further, it demands that we wholeheartedly accept that it might take years, or never even happen. Do we have the faith to wait a week, a month—years? We have to sacrifice our desire, passion and human understanding at the throne of God.
Prayer: Blessed Lord, please keep my soul from the threads of impatience, and guide me in Your perfect Will. Manifest a holy patience in me as a writer, so I can serve You through deed, thought and emotion. I pray, in Jesus’ Name, that Your blessings come to me at the right time and place, according to Your perfect Will, so I can bring Glory to Your powerful Name.
Thought for the day: Am I ready to patiently follow God after asking, and stop trying to lead through my own reasoning?
Prayer focus: Those who are obviously impatient, and need the Holy Spirit to give them peace.
David J. Ferreira, a devout Christian since childhood, studied at the University of South Africa, and has published Christian poetry, as well as his first Christian novel, David: The Warrior King, which follows the life and times of King David. Available in Christian bookstores in the USA and South Africa.
an inspirational posting...thank you, david
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kmkuka at yahoo dot com
A great reminder, David!
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