Remember......God produces the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) in us by allowing us to encounter situations and people with characteristics that are exactly the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit! So far we've looked at the love, joy, peace and today, patience.
Patience is a virtue that carries alot of wait! Patience is the ability to let your light shine after your fuse has been blown! If God puts you on hold, don't hang up!
We all know what we need to do and be in order to show others patience....1) We should look at people and situations from God's perspective. He sees us as human, which means no one is perfect! 2) We need to develop a good sense of humor. Sometimes the only thing we can do is laugh. Humor is a great stress-disolver! "A cheerful heart is good medicine." (Proverbs 17:22) and 3) We need to deepen our love for others. Ephesians 4:2 says it best..."Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."
These three tips have dealt with people and situations that test our patience, but today I want us to look at how we handle our impatience with God. Let's be honest..many times we question why we have to wait for God to answer a prayer, perform a miracle or point us in the right direction. We wonder what good can come from waiting. What is the point of waiting when there is so much to do for God, but so little time. One answer could be that, while we worry about how fast we grow, God is concerned about how strong we grow!
As we have been learning with the fruit of the Spirit, they are God's desire for us to have in our life and they are a representation of Christ's character. Does this character develop overnight? Not usually. God's plan is to mold and shape us little by little until we are fully prepared for His assignment - and that may take time, lots of time for some of us! One of life's frustrations is that God's timetable is rarely the same as our own. The Bible is full of examples of how God used a long process to develop character. Abraham and Sarah. Noah. Moses. David. Joseph. The Bible is a book about waiting!
So what do you and I do during our waiting time? I can tell you what not to do ~ nothing! Waiting is not a time to waste. In the book of Psalms, David tells us several things we are to be doing (and I believe he knew something about waiting and character development!) In 27:14, he tells us to "Wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." 37:7, "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret..." 37:34a, "Wait for the Lord and keep his ways..." 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God..." 130:5, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his Word do I put my hope."
Waiting is not something we enjoy doing; but we can make the most of our time by learning about God by being still, developing our character by obedience, building our confidence while staying strong and strengthening our dependence on him by not fretting. As women, we often fall into the trap of thinking if we're not doing something, we must be wasting time. I hope these verses confirm the importance and desire God has for you to wait for Him. He can't speak to you or get your attention when your life is too busy, too loud, too distracted and too rushed.
What is God having you wait for today? Don't look at it as a denial to your requests. God's delays are never His denials. They are just another method He uses to continue to mold and shape us into women He can use for His purposes! Remember, if God puts you on hold, don't hang up!!
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