Tag: Patience

Patience

Gifts For Believers

On By Ed AlgreenIn Gifts of The SpiritLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 26 Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

(Bible Translation and Location: New Living Translation – Galatians 5:22-26)

Thoughts:

If I told you that I was going to send a little stranger kid to college next year, there would be a few questions you would have for me, such as how do I know the kid, how long have they shown a desire to want to attend college, etc. Similarly, in these verses today, we should ask a few questions or rather, observe a few obvious answers:

  1. The Holy Spirit produces the mentioned fruit in those who have accepted Jesus and have a desire to live like Him. Others who do not know the author of the gifts would either not appreciate the gifts or recognize them as coming from God;
  2. These gifts are not given to make us proud, but rather to reflect more of Jesus in our lives – the author of these gifts;
  3. The gifts are beneficial, as they are given to folk who have totally surrendered the passions and desires of their sinful nature. In other words, they are given as a needed replacement for the sinful gifts already surrendered at the foot of the cross;
  4. The gifts serve the purpose of helping us not become conceited, or agitated with one another, or jealous of one another, but instead lead us towards loving one another as Christ first loved us.

By meditating through these verses, I believe you will see where there will be times when you might recognize a few of the characteristics in #4 sneaking back into your life. Please note that these are not of God and should automatically put you in a mode of constant and serious prayer, asking for help from Jesus so that you may see the gifts mentioned in verses 22-23 return to you. Many of us are looking forward to gifts at Christmas. It can be Christmas every day for Christians as God, through His Holy Spirit, showers us with the wonderful gifts mentioned in these verses.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I pray that there will be friends who will read this devotional today and wonder why they are not receiving the gifts mentioned in these verses, because that will indicate a soul that is either strained in their relationship with you or who do not have a relationship with You. It will also indicate that they have been led by You to the truth of Your Word and how it could apply to their life, if only they would surrender their life to You. Father, I pray that many will be impacted by the greatest gift of all this Christmas, Your Son, my Savior, Jesus Christ. As You shower us with the gifts mentioned in these verses, may we allow You to use us as Your representatives to bring joy, peace and love to those that we come into contact with. Please soften the hearts of those we love, who need You as Lord of their life, is my humble plea this Christmas season, and I ask all this in the wonderful name of Jesus, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!

Proof of Whose You Are

On By Ed AlgreenIn Character, ExampleLeave a comment

The Holy Bible

3 We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. 4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. 5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.

(Bible Translation and Location: The New Living Translation – 2 Corinthians 6:3-6)

Thoughts:

Whether we like it or not, folk that knew (or know) your ancestors can easily identify you, and it may not always be because you look so much like them! Often it’s because of the way you act, the things you say, or even the way you look at life. As a young couple I remember my wife and I commenting about some of the things that her mom and dad said and did. Today we marvel at my wife when she does and/or says some of the very same things that we particularly noted as a young couple! I always admire the heart of Paul in wanting to do the right thing and to do it in a way pleasing to God while not allowing it to be a hindrance to someone else. Besides this passage, remember Paul also said that he would just as soon be anything God wants him to be in order that some might recognize and accept Jesus as their Savior. In this passage though, I was particularly moved by verse (6) where he listed the attributes by which he and his coworkers proved whose they were. Because these are character attributes spoken about elsewhere in the Bible as well, I believe that these are being pounded into our minds as Godly attributes, that we should frequently examine our own lives to insure that they exude from us in our everyday lives. Think about it friends these very characteristics were demonstrated by Jesus and taught by Him as ones that we should strive for and make a part of our character. Here they are: Purity (moral uprightness, of a single mind towards God); Understanding/Knowledge (understanding what you believe and what God expects of you. Being sensitive to the will of God); Patience (dealing with even the most challenging people without getting upset with them); Kindness (being sympathetic towards others, and allowing that to reflect in your actions); and Love (genuine love is the desire to do what is best for those around you). So friends I believe that my ‘dare’ to us today is that we ‘dare’ be bold in our witness for God. May we constantly pray for these characteristics to be prevalent in our lives, to the extent that others will recognize our Master through our actions, and therefore desire to know Him in a very personal way. In this way, they also may go on to exude the same attributes in their lives. Being ‘Christian’ means being just like Christ (little ‘christs’). For those that know Him, and live these characteristics out in their lives, they will be well on their way to their goal. To my friends that have not accepted Jesus yet, please consider accepting Him today. He will also help you to mature into a person who can reflect His image, so that you too can help someone else along. Use information in the footnote to receive help, should you need it.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I thank You for all you did for me on Calvary so that I might have life eternal with You! Thank You for the example You showed to me, and for all those saints who have influenced my walk for You. I am well aware that if ever this world needed to see You in action, through Your saints alive and included in these challenging days, is today. I pray for Your strength, Your direction, Your wisdom, and Your almighty touch so that others might see Your character lived out in my daily walk and in my talk. I pray for my readers that they also will develop a yearning to know You better and desire a character aligned with the example You set for us, and that You remind us of in Your Word. As Paul and all of the saints gone on before us have demonstrated to us, may we also be an example to those that watch us and follow our footsteps daily. I am proud to be known as Your child, Lord Jesus, may I represent You well. Please be especially challenging to my readers today, so that they too may have a deeper desire to depict You in all areas of their lives. I ask this in the precious name of Jesus, my Lord, AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to blogger.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day‘s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring, FL!