This post will definitely be incomplete on the subject of patience, but I felt inspired to share a few thoughts I got a few days ago.
Patience is something that doesn't come to me. I normally like things to move consistently and quickly. I don't like to wait for things I think should happen immediately. Our world is inundated with instant gratification. It's fast-paced, and most things we do don't take us much time. We get frustrated if a website takes too long to load, if a video buffers, or if the drive-thru at McDonald's takes too long (side note: that's why you go to Chick-Fil-a, btw). I also don't like to wait for an answer... I want a yes or a no, and then like to move along. However, that's not always the way things work. The world doesn't spin to the whim of my desires. All that said, this is an area God has used to work on me.
Romans 8:25
"But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."
Hoping in Christ is equivalent to having the patience to wait for it. We don't have a real hope if we aren't willing to wait and aren't patient about it. This spoke to me because I am often an impatient person. I expect things from people to be done quickly -- with my family, friends, peers, even people I don't really know. I expect them to operate based on the timetable I deem acceptable for myself... or perhaps even faster sometimes. But the act of impatience bears unpleasant fruits, and reveals some ugly traits as well. It can spur anger, discontentment, grumblings, murmurings, and so on. There are plenty of different things that can rise up from an instance of impatience with other people.
However, this isn't even the most important point. It made me think: If I'm impatient with other people, am I impatient with God?
We ask things of God all the time, but are we hoping for them and having the patience to WAIT for them, regardless of how long it takes, in God's perfect timing? That's a challenge. Being patient with God is absolutely essential to getting the right thing he has for us at the right time. This can be the case with anything. With education, job situations, relationships -- any of those things are things that require patience and a HOPE in God, regardless of what we see and don't see. Our vision of the future is not perfected like God's is. We have to be patient while we have HOPE in Christ that the right thing will work out for us in any circumstance, instead of getting upset that the answer doesn't come immediately. As I mentioned earlier, we are conditioned in our world today to expect instant gratification. Yet, God still requires the same thing he always has -- to wait on Him.
Psalm 27:14
"Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."
I was reading in Streams in the Desert a few days ago, and one phrase particularly caught my attention.
"God's promise is equal to his presence."
What does that mean? In my interpretation, it means, independent of time, God's promise is just as good as his immediate, "now" presence or answer. If we don't feel like God has spoken or given us an answer right now, his promise remains unchanged. We shouldn't lose hope, it doesn't mean he has forsaken us. Just because we don't see him actively working or changing something in our favor doesn't mean he's not. He's promised to never leave us or forsake us. That doesn't change based on our human expectations or timeline of things. We just have to have the patience to wait, while hoping in Christ for the best outcome of whatever situation it is facing us. This thought was a real encouragement to me to know that our hope in Christ should not be dependent upon time or what we see. God's promise is sure. Living up to the first verse is a big challenge to hope in Christ while having the patience to wait.
Keep encouraged!
Monday, February 26, 2018
Thursday, February 8, 2018
The Importance of Bible Study
From Natalie Sorrell:
The month of January is the time where people decide to make goals or resolutions, and last month I made a decision to start spending more time with God and studying His word more. I doubt that I was the only one that made that goal, too. I can't say that I have been perfect since then, but I definitely have tried. I realized my need for taking more time to study and decided I would do the best that I could.
So, today I would like to talk a little bit about the importance of Bible study. Okay, I know life is busy, people. I realize not everyone has time every day to spend 2 hours studying. I knew I didn't, but I did know I needed to spend more time than I had been.
I think it's important for us to know our reason why we study, and not just a random goal that we decide to fit into our lives. Why should we study? In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. That to me sounds like an encouragement to study the word, right? We need to read and study the word of God so that we know the doctrines, for reproof, and for correction, so that we can grow and believe with our eyes that this is the way to go. It's also a way of knowing why we believe what we believe. It's not just because our parents told us we should do these things, it's because God commands in His word. Studying won't only perfect the man, but it will also help us with witnessing to others. In 1 Peter 3:15, it says, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: So not only does studying help with us personally, it helps to be able to witness to others more effectively. People won’t believe doctrine if it’s just coming from your personal mindset. They will be more accepting if you show where that is at in the Bible (that’s where Bible memorization comes in). Besides these two obvious reasons to study, there are also other reasons to why studying can be beneficial in your walk. I know for myself, procrastinating is a weakness of mine. I put off things when they should be done first. Studying gives me a reason to work on my procrastination. Procrastination really shows where our affections are. Will I choose what I want, or what God wants? I need to put away my wants... and do what God wants out of me— to spend time with him more. Another reason why studying is helpful is that it can truly show our devotion to God. In a way, we don’t need to prove to God where our affections are because He already knows our hearts, but at the same time... we do need to show Him how much we care and how much we want to spend time with Him. Finally, studying helps us overall to stay focused on Him. After we have made Him our number one, we will gain ground and gain knowledge. We will become a better person in general. I can say for myself that studying gives me a chance to breathe, to not get so caught up in life. We have a lot of pressure from the world. Whether it be from outside friends, social media, or work. There is pressure.
I am getting a headache just thinking about it.
Studying is a gust of fresh air to me. It’s exciting and fun to find things in the Bible that you didn’t know before, and knowing that you have a better understanding gives confidence.
Another point I would like to say is... MAKE STUDYING FUN. Use highlighters, pens, sticky notes, etc. It’s fun to make your notes personal.
This has been a challenge of mine and I hope that this will encourage anyone else who has had the same goal this year. Keep up the good work! Have a marvelous day!
- Natalie Sorrell
The month of January is the time where people decide to make goals or resolutions, and last month I made a decision to start spending more time with God and studying His word more. I doubt that I was the only one that made that goal, too. I can't say that I have been perfect since then, but I definitely have tried. I realized my need for taking more time to study and decided I would do the best that I could.
So, today I would like to talk a little bit about the importance of Bible study. Okay, I know life is busy, people. I realize not everyone has time every day to spend 2 hours studying. I knew I didn't, but I did know I needed to spend more time than I had been.
I think it's important for us to know our reason why we study, and not just a random goal that we decide to fit into our lives. Why should we study? In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 it says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (17) That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. That to me sounds like an encouragement to study the word, right? We need to read and study the word of God so that we know the doctrines, for reproof, and for correction, so that we can grow and believe with our eyes that this is the way to go. It's also a way of knowing why we believe what we believe. It's not just because our parents told us we should do these things, it's because God commands in His word. Studying won't only perfect the man, but it will also help us with witnessing to others. In 1 Peter 3:15, it says, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: So not only does studying help with us personally, it helps to be able to witness to others more effectively. People won’t believe doctrine if it’s just coming from your personal mindset. They will be more accepting if you show where that is at in the Bible (that’s where Bible memorization comes in). Besides these two obvious reasons to study, there are also other reasons to why studying can be beneficial in your walk. I know for myself, procrastinating is a weakness of mine. I put off things when they should be done first. Studying gives me a reason to work on my procrastination. Procrastination really shows where our affections are. Will I choose what I want, or what God wants? I need to put away my wants... and do what God wants out of me— to spend time with him more. Another reason why studying is helpful is that it can truly show our devotion to God. In a way, we don’t need to prove to God where our affections are because He already knows our hearts, but at the same time... we do need to show Him how much we care and how much we want to spend time with Him. Finally, studying helps us overall to stay focused on Him. After we have made Him our number one, we will gain ground and gain knowledge. We will become a better person in general. I can say for myself that studying gives me a chance to breathe, to not get so caught up in life. We have a lot of pressure from the world. Whether it be from outside friends, social media, or work. There is pressure.
I am getting a headache just thinking about it.
Studying is a gust of fresh air to me. It’s exciting and fun to find things in the Bible that you didn’t know before, and knowing that you have a better understanding gives confidence.
Another point I would like to say is... MAKE STUDYING FUN. Use highlighters, pens, sticky notes, etc. It’s fun to make your notes personal.
This has been a challenge of mine and I hope that this will encourage anyone else who has had the same goal this year. Keep up the good work! Have a marvelous day!
- Natalie Sorrell
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