Tag Archives: persecution

The Cost of Impatience

Posted on by
Reply

1a1aa - impatienceThere’s nothing like entering the stage of life where God blesses you with children. It is an incredible season, yet the transition between only having to worry about yourself to the wake up call of now having a baby that doesn’t understand patience and timing can be eye opening to say the least. I remember in that season how the nights that I was beyond tired was when our sweet cuddly bundle of love turned into a screaming creature from the dark side. That sweet little crying baby never understood anyone else’s needs, only that they wanted their bottle now and that you’re not moving fast enough!

Sadly, many believers are responding in the same way when it comes to receiving the promises of God. When things aren’t coming together in their timetable they begin to be agitated and respond with unwarranted reactions that can, if not stopped, abort the promises of God. It says in Prov. 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick”. When we are faced with delays we can quickly turn to hopelessness and begin to lose heart, even becoming sluggish in achieving God’s promises.

We see this happening on one of Moses many trips up the mountain. We read in Ex 32:1, “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, … we do not know what has become of him”.  Now, remember these are the people that God delivered from the Egyptians. God ended hundreds of years of slavery through a great show of His power. (Gen.15:13-14) He went before them as a “Pillar of Fire and a Cloud by day! (Ex 13:21-22)  He opened the Red Sea for a way of escape and then closed it upon the vicious army coming to annihilate them! (Ex 14:21-23, 27-28) Then shortly before this passage the children of Israel had seen God descend upon Mount Sinai in a dark cloud with rumblings and lightening’s, speaking audibly the Ten Commandments before all the children of Israel. (Ex 20:18-19, 22)

They truly had multiple encounters with their all-powerful God that had chosen them to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation before Him, (Ex. 19:6) yet they still slid to a place of impatience when Moses delayed coming down the mountain. You would think after a number of times witnessing God calling him up to commune with Him and to receive instruction on their behalf, that they would be patient and content. Yet it was not so!

The human spirit has a tendency to want things now not later, even if that means trying to help God fulfill His plan with our own strength. Just as Abram and Sari, when they became impatient and produced an Ishmael themselves. (Gen. 16:1-2) Esau was so hungry and impatient after hunting all day that he sold His birthright for soup. (Gen. 25:29-35, Heb. 12:16)

Israel’s impatience motivated them to pursue Aaron to create a god of gold that they might serve and worship it. (Ex. 32:1-2) The gold that they used is what they received from the Egyptians when they left bondage. Isn’t it like many of God’s people in our society? We get tired of contending for His promises, so we create a golden calf that fits our convenience out of the blessings we received from God in the first place.

Let me encourage you as Paul said, not to be weary along the journey, for we will see God’s promises fulfilled if we don’t quit! (Gal. 6:9) Our impatience will only end up costing us the blessings we received from God.

Thoughts to Ponder:  

  • Have you ever been so impatient for whatever reason and did something foolish?
  • Have you ever known anyone to try and help God fulfill what He has promised you? Explain?

 Quotes to Tweet:

  • The human spirit has a tendency to want things now not later, even if that means trying to help God fulfill His plan with our own strength. billvirgin.com 
  • When we are faced with delays we can quickly turn to hopelessness and begin to lose heart, even becoming sluggish in achieving God’s promises. – billvirgin.com

#TheresACostToOurImpatience           #DontDiscardWhatGodAccepts    

 

 

Sing like Pottery that’s taken out of the Fire

Posted on by
Reply

a1 pottery in kilnThe anticipation of getting to see our finished clay pottery was overwhelming. It was almost like being a young child before we were able to open Christmas presents. We had gone to the Potter’s House and learned about the process from start to finish. Then as if with God’s divine grace the potter let each of us young students make our own piece of pottery. But due to the curing and drying time that it entailed before the firing we left them at the potter’s shop. Now a month later and once they were done being fired in the kiln, they were delivered to our art classroom. The buzz of the news went through the school like a wild fire in the dry prairie.

In 2 Tim 2:20-22 Paul writes young Timothy and uses the allegory of a house and furniture to our spiritual man saying, “But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work”. Paul in his exhorting Timothy brings out the truth that there are things in our lives that will bring honor to God and His purposes and then there are also things that bring dishonor.

If we will embrace the cleansing and working of God, the Master potter, in our lives we will be purged from anything dishonoring and become vessels of honor. Paul let’s us know that we have a responsibility ourselves as we submit to the potters forming and shaping in our lives. When we yield to His workings then we become useful to the Master and are equipped for His work. To the Ephesians Paul shares this same thought in Eph 2:10, where we read, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. Also to the Roman believers Paul says, “Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor”? (Rom 9:20-21)

As I am often taken back to the memory of that tour of the potter’s shop, where I remember the potter saying how the drying time of the clay pottery was so crucial and important. He said it might seem boring, as it should take between 1 to 2 weeks of just sitting and drying, but that you don’t want to hurry the process. When it is prematurely quickened most often it will bring cracks and damage to the clay pot, ending in returning to the soaking and reforming which adds much more time to the process. But when its done right the dry clay pottery goes into the kiln. The kiln is a oven that will perfectly fire the pottery from 1800 up to 2200 degrees. Then to bring beauty and brilliance it is glazed and fired again. When the piece of pottery comes out of the fiery kiln you can tap it with a utensil and it will bring forth a beautiful sound.

In our lives we can see God’s commitment to developing us into vessels of Honor in the same process as the natural potter does to His pottery. We will have times of sitting and drying and seasons of extreme heat being turned up in our lives. Peter says in 1 Peter 4:12-13, “do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice…”. When we embrace the fires in our life, keeping our eyes on Jesus we will be as the pot that sings. Glorifying the Lord!

Help, There’s Water in my Boat!

Posted on by
3

562785703Doesn’t it seem to come crashing in all at once? The storms of life, such as, a vehicle breaking down unexpectedly and maybe being laid off your job or even a death of a loved one can set your world in turmoil. Life at times can become very overwhelming to say the least. The Psalmist says in Ps 107:28-29 says, “they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. “NKJV

When God’s people have a right understanding and trust in their Heavenly Father they will cry out to Him in what I call storms of life, with confidence of His leadership. Yet on the other hand, when God’s people or those that have been around church most of their lives, but are shallow in their understanding will be disillusioned and possibly offended at the Lord.

It’s when we begin to look at the waves and wind that our eyes get off of Jesus and fixed on the circumstances around us.        (tweet)

   The disciples were faced with this scenario in Mk 4:37-41, where it says a great storm arose as Jesus and his disciples were traveling across in a fishing boat one evening. Jesus had just finished ministering to the multitudes about growing in the things of God and encouraged His disciples to go to the other side with Him. And wouldn’t you know it, in the midst of their journey arises a great storm. The wind began to blow and the waves beat against the boat, filling it with water. Water in your boat is never good and would make most passengers very uncomfortable. Well, the disciples being concerned came to inform Jesus that they had a major crisis. The story progresses letting us know that they found Him at the stern of the boat sleeping on a pillow. In their dismays they woke Him with fear in their voice, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? In other words, because Jesus was at peace and

We forget that He is the one that speaks peace to storms and everything becomes calm     (Tweet

comfortably sleeping, they thought He didn’t care whether they perished or not. But Jesus answered their accusations by speaking peace and a calmness to this storm. He then addressed them asking why they were so fearful and had no faith? He was letting them know if they would have really trusted in His guidance there was no reason for fear because He will bring peace to the storm.

More than not, we all fall into that same category as the disciples when in the midst of our storms. Unfortunately, we also at times can get offended at Jesus when we aren’t confident in His leadership. We forget that He is the one that speaks peace to storms and everything becomes calm. Jesus wants us to find the same place of peace in the midst of chaos that the disciples found Him in. Not in a pit of denial but a place of total confidence and trust. He wants you to have peace in the midst of the storms of life. In Isaiah 26:3 we are exhorted that if we keep our eyes on Him, He will keep us in perfect Peace.

It’s when we begin to look at the waves and wind that our eyes get off of Jesus and fixed on the circumstances around us. Peter had great faith in Matt. 14:24-31 when he stepped out of the boat in obedience to the word of Jesus. But it was when he began to focus on the storm that his lack of faith began to sink him.