Patience
Godly Attitudes August 27th, 2008
James 5:8
You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
It is very easy for us to become restless in our station in life. We are ready for something new, something different. At times we can feel that something is missing in our lives. So we try to fill the hole with something found in this life. Maybe it is a significant other. Maybe it is a job. Sometimes people think that a child will fill that gap. Other times it is money. Unfortunately these stop gaps are not enough to fill the need in our lives.
There is a sense in which we will never fill the void in this life. We were created as eternal beings. We were created for a personal, face to face relationship with God. Yet here we are trapped in a finite physical body, having a separation between us and the Lord. There is only one solution to that problem that will fix it permanently. That is to be transformed into a spiritual being and to be at home with our father in heaven. Until we are there, we will always have something missing.
However, we can have hope. The first thing to realize is that while our relationship with God is somewhat limited to what it will one day be, it is possible for us to have a relationship with Him. Having that relationship is what enables us to have peace in our lives today. It is also what inspires patience. Because we have a blessing in our relationship with God today, it allows us to look forward to what we will have. In doing so we can strengthen ourselves with patience. We can wait for the frustration to be healed in God’s time because we trust that it will indeed be healed. That will be a glorious day indeed.
You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
August 27th, 2008 at 11:07 am
One of the hardest things to have is patience. In our busy lives, it’s hard especially when we want something so much. I long for a home in heaven where there will be no worry and sorrow. Thanks!
August 27th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Thank you for these thoughts today. As you know, these are words I needed to hear.
Rickie Jenkins gave an excellent lesson on this topic last Sunday morning, definitely worth a listen!
At every stage in our life it seems that we are impatiently waiting for the next step. In middle school, we can’t wait for high school….in high school, we can’t wait for college…then to get married…then to have children…then for the children to be out of the house…having grandchildren, etc etc etc. It’s a never-ending cycle. Like the old saying goes, I know that if I keep waiting for “my life to start”, I’ll turn around one day and it will be gone already.
I will definitely pray and meditate on these thoughts today…thank you Josh.