Be Patient

Ask nearly any one to define patience and they will struggle. Ultimately someone will say something like “patience is being able to wait for what one wants.”

That is not exactly it.

A man doing time in prison is able to wait until his release date, but he has no other choice.

Patience is more than waiting.

Psalms 37:7-8 gives us good incite into the definition of patience. The verse exhorts us:

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret.  it leads only to evil.

Patience means to “Be still before the Lord,” and “Do not fret.”

In patience, there is no anxiety but rather a calm waiting for God to do his work. It means that you do not fret when things do not work immediately. It means to keep your spirit and “Refrain from anger and turn from wrath.”

Patience is not just being able to wait, but being able to wait with the right attitude.

There is a Jewish legend about Abraham and patience.

According to a traditional Hebrew story, Abraham was sitting outside his tent one evening when he saw an old man, weary from age and journey, coming toward him.

Abraham rushed out, greeted him, and then invited him into his tent. There he washed the old man’s feet and gave him food and drink. The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing.

Abraham asked him, “Don’t you worship God?”

The old traveler replied, “I only worship fire. I reverence no other god.”

Hearing this, Abraham became angry, grabbed the old man, and threw him out of his tent and into the cold night air. When the old man departed, God called to Abraham and asked where the stranger was.

Abraham replied, “I threw him out because he did not worship you.”

God answered, “I have suffered him these eighty years – although he dishonors me. Could you not endure him one night?”

Abraham would have done well to remember the old word of wisdom, “When you’re tempted to lose patience with someone, remember how patient God has been with you.”

Be patient with someone today!

Lonnie Davis

There was a Christian lady who was diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live. So as she was getting her things “in order,” she contacted her preacher and had him come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in. The woman also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible. Everything was in order and the preacher was preparing to leave when the woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.

“There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly. “What’s that?” came the preacher’s reply.

“This is very important,” the woman continued. “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.”

The preacher stood looking at the woman, not knowing quite what to say. “That surprises you, doesn’t it?”, the woman asked.

“Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,” said the preacher.

The woman explained, “In all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main courses were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, “Keep your fork.” It was my favorite part because I knew that something better was coming.

I just want people to see me there in that coffin with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, “What’s with the fork?” Then I want you to tell them: “Keep your fork. The best is yet to come.”

-Anon

Jesus got angry, or so every angry person would have you believe. Folks who make this statement are usually trying to justify their own anger. After all if Jesus got angry, then no one can blame me for being angry. The problem is that this statement is grossly overstated.

 To prove their point, angry people use the story of Jesus driving the money changers out of the temple (Mark 11, Matthew 21, Luke 19, John 2). Before anyone accuses Jesus of anger in that story, he or she ought to read the story again. Nowhere do the Scriptures say that Jesus was angry. Jesus was bothered. Jesus was troubled. Jesus was determined to stop unrighteousness. Jesus was not angry.

 This is easily seen when a person looks at what anger does. Anger puts a person in an impaired mental state and reduces one’s ability to grasp ambiguity or see any nuance in a situation. Anger gives us an adrenalin rush which clouds our ability to make judgments.  This is not the emotion that Jesus was experiencing when he drove the crooked merchants out of the temple. Jesus did not “lose it.” With a clear mind, Jesus removed scam artists from the temple area.

 There is one time in the Bible that says Jesus experienced anger. In Mark 3, the Bible says that Jesus “look around…in anger.” Read the text and you will find that the only way you know Jesus felt anger is that the Scriptures tells us so. He did not hit anyone. He did not call anyone a name. He did not shout at anyone. He did not get red-faced. He was angry, but he dealt with it quietly and then he helped a man.

 If you want to be angry like Jesus, that is your example.

 ~Lonnie Davis

Why do you read the Bible?

The other day I was reading some old notes about why we ought to read the Bible. The notes were the usual things that preachers share:

(1) It is the inspired Word of God,

(2) It tells us about God,

(3) It contains the answers to life’s question.

To that list I want to add another. “Appetite comes with eating.”

The full text of this old French proverb says, “Appetite comes with eating; the more one has, the more one would have.”

That may not seem like a reason to read the Bible, but after you think about it, it will make sense.

When I first read this proverb I too raced through it and did not see the great truth in it. Later I began to reflect on it and realized the life principle in it. Its meaning is simple.

Appetite comes with eating. If you are watching your weight and want to avoid eating a donut tomorrow, do not eat one today.

If you want to avoid eating a second piece of cake, do not eat the first piece.

“Appetite comes with eating; the more one has, the more one would have.”

There is a spiritual application to this.

If you want to be more spiritual, start acting spiritual.

If you want to build a great prayer life, start a small prayer life. It will grow.

If you want to get into the habit of worshipping God faithfully, go to church next Sunday, then go the next and the next.

In time it will all seem normal to you. Appetite comes from eating.

Once I was teaching Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” One of the class members asked, “How can you develop a hunger for righteousness?” It was then that my mind ran back to this old proverb, “Appetite comes with eating.”

If you want to become more spiritual tomorrow, practice spiritual things today. One does not become a great prayer warrior in one day. One does not go from casual acquaintance with the Bible to deep knowledge in one week. Begin today to make small spiritual things. It will make the big spiritual things feel more natural tomorrow.

Appetite comes with eating.

~Lonnie Davis

When my youngest daughter was barely a teenager, she was very afraid of the dark. One night she was upstairs and in the middle of the night heard a sound downstairs. She grabbed the phone, pulled the cover over both her and the phone. She then dialed 9-1. After that she held her finger over the last “1.” She was prepared to call for help!

 In my own private time, I love long prayers. I love public prayer at church. Prayers around the beds of the sick are special to me. All of these are wonderful, but I especially love those who’s prayer life includes keeping the finger over the “1” button of prayer.

 David was such a man. Read the Psalms and you will be convinced of that fact. Often the Psalms will speak about wonderful things or even troubling things and then out of nowhere will be a one-sentence prayer. Nehemiah also had this skill. His enemies would attack him and he would suddenly and abruptly prayer. His prayer was always short and to the point. It did not have all the fancy beginnings and endings. He prayed like a man who knew that God was right beside him and would hear him.

 I think this is what the Holy Spirit had in mind when he exhorted us to be “instant in prayer.” (Rom 12:12 KJV)  Instant in prayer does not mean that with each step we take we say another prayer. It means that we live with our finger over the last button of the “phone” to God. It means that we do push that button many times.

 Go ahead and push call God with a brief prayer, a one-sentence prayer.

God is ready to hear you.

~Lonnie Davis

 The story is told of one man who was called to bail his son out of jail. As he left for the jail, a nosey neighbor said, “If he were my kid, I’d leave him in jail.” The father answered, ““If he were your kid, I’d leave him in jail too.”

One of the curses of being the oldest child is having kids before your siblings and listening to them tell you how to raise your child. You hear famous words like, “When I have kids, they will not…”

One of the joys of being the oldest child is watching your younger siblings have children and seeing those children do exactly what their parents said they would never do. It is easier to discipline and control other people’s children better than you can your own.

To understand the principle behind this, one needs to read 1 Peter 4:8, “Love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” The reason my kid’s sins are not as bad as your kid’’s sins is because I love my kids and “love covers a multitude of sins.” It is the way of love to look past faults and imperfections.

 Mothers and fathers succeed or fail as parents because of this principle. Without this principle, the imperfections of those with whom we live nearly 24-7 becomes so glaring that the faults will drown out the good.

 Husbands and wives succeed or fail as life-mates because of this principle. Without this principle of love, the wonder of marriage changes to “I wonder what went wrong.”

 Look one more time at that great text, 1 Peter 4:8, “Love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins.” Now read it again and this time stop after the word “covers.” It now reads ““Love each other deeply, because love covers…”

Yes it does. Love covers…whatever. That is the secret of living together in happiness.

Lonnie Davis