Theme: Patience
Builds Character - Series 8
NCV
– James 1:2-3 “… when you have many kinds of troubles . . . you know that these
troubles test your faith, and this will give you patience.”
KJV
James 1:2-3 KJV “… when you fall into divers (all kind of) temptations
(trials); knowing this that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
The
word, perseverance does not have the same meaning as patience. Perseverance means to keep at something while
the dictionary defines the word patience as “the ability to be calm, tolerant,
and understanding.” To be calm is to be
free from being stressful. To tolerant is an ability to put up with something
harmful or unpleasant. To be
understanding is to get to know something and have ability to judge the
difference between right and wrong.
For
most of us, patience is a hard thing to take control of, but that’s exactly
what it means, “to take control of.” The Bible teaches that we are to learn to
wait patiently for the things that God has a plan for us even when waiting is
difficult. In Psalm 37:7 encourages us to “be still before the Lord and wait
patiently for Him.”
Dorothy: Boy! Sometimes I find it
hard and difficult to wait patiently for God to show us His plans for
everything that He needed to do. This is
something I really need to experience the calmness and be able to
accept things that are not going smoothly and to understand that God
knows what is happening with me and Tony and that God is really, really at
work inside of us.
Tony
fell last April 22, 2019 in the bedroom stumbled over the covers spread out on
the rug with walker and his right chest hurts.
The x-ray shows that he has a very small fracture in his rib and it would
take time to heal itself and its sore muscles. He was able to get up with his
knees and with the support of the front chair and another chair behind him. He
got up and walk fine, but slower due to the pain in his right side of ribs.
I
started to work more closely with Tony than before. Studying the Manna on “Patience builds
character,” I noticed something difference after Tony’s fall, it seems to be
the biggest theme for me is patience . . . builds . . . character . . . So God
was indeed at work and I noticed something . . .
What
are you going through? Can’t imagine that God is really in those things? Even at the worst time? Is God really into
our “mess”? Is He there? Things that
seems broken, God designed it to make something beautiful, something glorified,
and something that we cannot imagine that anything good would come out of it. But God uses anything, just anything to
glorify Him and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
This is what I need to believe and to remember that God uses patience to
build our character.
Prayer: Oh, Lord God, Father, I
cannot imagine that so many things we do . . . takes patience to allow You
to work on our characters. No wonder You
ask us to put our faith in You and to trust in Your wisdom. Thank You for allowing me to experience “calmness”
which is related to “patience.” Amazing
grace! How sweet it is that save a wretch like me. I didn’t understand before,
but now I see Your wisdom in building a character like me. Thank You, Father, in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen!
God
bless you!
Dorothy
Song: Amazing Grace!
Amazing
Grace! How sweet the sound,
That
saved a wretch like me!
I
once was lost, but now am found,
Was
blind, but now I see.
(John
Newton; John P. Rees, Sing His Praise)
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