New Hope Headlines
Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday March 27 from 10 AM - 12 PM
From the Desk of the Pastor
March 1, 2010
The Instruction of Patience
I like the way J.I. Packer describes our daily business: "living out the belief that God orders everything for the spiritual good of his children. Patience does not just grin and bear things, stoic-like, but accepts them cheerfully as therapeutic workouts planned by a heavenly trainer who is resolved to get you up to full fitness."
That kind of believer understands that God is in control even when something unpleasant occurs. He accepts it as one more obscure, multisided piece of the jigsaw puzzle of his life-for which he has no box cover pattern.
Maybe you're reading this and you feel that you life is not in alignment. You are fighting the road. Something's wrong. If you've ever found yourself in a bad position, you know it ususally does not happen overnight. One small misstep can evlove into a major problem.
If you think back over your life, you're bound to realize that while a doctor needs bright light to do his surgery, God likes to work in the dark. We don't learn character when life is cruising along-only when it demands us to reach within ourselves and find new patience, new faith in God, and new resources to overcome the obstacles.
Perhaps your family is coping with difficult times at present. What if you viewed this as a time of revelation from God, an occasion for learning to trust Him, and a stepping stone to good things in the future? That's how God has always worked, so why would this occasion be any different?
If you and your family were to begin the coming week with that attitude firmly entrenched in your collective soul, giving thanks to God all the way, how much better would your week feel?
If patience, longsuffering, and perseverance are so critically important, why then are they so difficult for us? I believe the reason is that this pattern of faithful response can only be learned through tribulation. Romans 5:3-4 says, "Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope."
Hebrews 4:16 (NIV), "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
When I begin a new day, tribulation or suffering is generally not on my list of requests to God: "Lord, can you really hit me with something nerve-racking today? My character needs a good test!" I wouldn't expect anyone to include that in their prayer time. However, if Christian maturity is our goal, tribulation teaches us to hang in there, and hanging in there develops character in us.
Don't feel compelled to pray for tribulation tomorrow. It's provided free of charge. Trials are coming to a circumstance near you whether you look for them or not. They enter the door without knocking, regardless of any padlock. This is because the world is fallen and also because God wants you to grow. That's why Paul is telling us to embrace the quality of patience; to look for it in ourselves during tough times, and to depend upon it to inspire us.
Expecting Great Things,
Pastor Bryan Cox