Why Do We Need to Develop Patience? (and other devotionals)

Why Do We Need to Develop Patience? by Charles Stanley

On any given day, we may encounter frustrating people and situations, such as the slow driver, mischievous child, or uncooperative co-worker. We may feel like lashing out, but God wants us to stay calm and be patient with everyone (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Why should we want to develop patience? Our calling. Though once alienated from the Lord, we have been made part of His family through Jesus’ shed blood. As God’s children, we’re called to live a life worthy of Him—one that is characterized by humility, gentleness, and patience (Ephesians 4:1–3). Biblical teaching. Scripture tells us to be tolerant of one another, bearing each other’s burdens, and responding with kindness. Jesus’ example. The Lord demonstrated patience toward Peter’s impetuous actions, the crowd’s demands, and the leaders’ false accusations. We are to cultivate an attitude of composure. Healthy relationships. Our impatience can hurt others and close off dialogue. Responding calmly gives room for the other person to confess wrongdoing, explain his attitude, and make changes. God’s approval. The apostle Paul wrote that we are to be joyful in hope and patient in affliction (Romans 12:12 niv). When we quietly endure our suffering, we find favor with the Lord (1 Peter 2:20). The Holy Spirit is conforming us to Christ’s image. As we cooperate with Him, He will develop in us the ability to persevere—without becoming agitated—when waiting or provoked. A calm demeanor in times of delay or adversity can be a powerful witness to the transforming work of God. ~Dr. Charles F. Stanley~ _____________________________ Come This Morning to the Cleansing Basin BIBLE MEDITATION: "Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin." Psalm 51:2 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Before a priest could enter the Holy of Holies, he had to stop by the basin and wash his hands and feet. He had already been washed from head to toe, but there is no floor in the tabernacle, only dirt. This final preparation before he entered God’s presence was to symbolize the washing away of the defilement of this world. As you and I come into contact with the world, we are going to become defiled. We don’t need a bath all over. We are already saved. But each day we must ask God to search our hearts and cleanse us from our sins. ACTION POINT: Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each of us came into the presence of God as seriously as the Old Testament priests? We should. Have you been to the cleansing basin this morning? ~Adrian Rogers~ ___________________________ He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver (Mal. 3:3). Our Father, who seeks to perfect His saints in holiness, knows the value of the refiner's fire. It is with the most precious metals that the assayer takes the most pains, and subjects them to the hot fire, because such fires melt the metal, and only the molten mass releases its alloy or takes perfectly its new form in the mould. The old refiner never leaves his crucible, but sits down by it, lest there should be one excessive degree of heat to mar the metal. But as soon as he skims from the surface the last of the dross, and sees his own face reflected, he puts out the fire. --Arthur T. Pierson He sat by a fire of seven-fold heat, As He watched by the precious ore, And closer He bent with a searching gaze As He heated it more and more. He knew He had ore that could stand the test, And He wanted the finest gold To mould as a crown for the King to wear, Set with gems with a price untold. So He laid our gold in the burning fire, Tho' we fain would have said Him 'Nay,' And He watched the dross that we had not seen, And it melted and passed away. And the gold grew brighter and yet more bright, But our eyes were so dim with tears, We saw but the fire--not the Master's hand, And questioned with anxious fears. Yet our gold shone out with a richer glow, As it mirrored a Form above, That bent o'er the fire, tho' unseen by us, With a look of ineffable love. Can we think that it pleases His loving heart To cause us a moment's pain? Ah, no! but He saw through the present cross The bliss of eternal gain. So He waited there with a watchful eye, With a love that is strong and sure, And His gold did not suffer a bit more heat, Than was needed to make it pure. ~L. B. Cowman~ _____________________________ Respecting Your Boss In Titus 2:9-10, Paul writes a very interesting and important command, Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. In our society, it is important to understand that this passage is giving us instructions as employers and employees.  And simply stated, as an employee, you are to be obedient to your boss. One of the ways you do that is by not answering back.  It might be hard at times to hold your tongue, but you must.  It's not okay when you get to the water cooler to talk to the other employees like, "This idiot that we work for doesn't have a clue what's going on here."  I think that comes under the category of answering back. And pilfering means stealing items of small value.  I remember this guy I knew in Oregon who did not like the place he worked.  In fact, he had a government job, and he would come home quite often with something he had stolen from his office. Nearly every day he would rip off some small office supply like a stapler, or pens, or a hole punch.  While they were always things of small value, he would just keep stealing things. The Bible says don't do that.  And you shouldn't steal time from your employer either by making personal phone calls during office hours.  Your employer is not paying you to take care of your business at the office.  That is stealing. I believe that, as Christians, we ought to be the best employees in the world.  We should work so hard and bring such a good attitude into the workplace that we set the example to everyone with whom we work. ~Bayless Conley~ ______________________________ A New Start Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. - 2 Corinthians 5:17 The word "new" strikes a cord with most of us. There is something inspiring about getting a new anything. Shopping is one of our nation's favorite pastimes, bordering on obsession. We love to buy new things, go to new places, eat at new restaurants—you name it, if it is new, then we are interested. And if all of this is not enough, we can go a step further and get a brand new makeover for ourselves. Today, a person has several options from which to choose for their new look, from whiter teeth to a whole new face. Plastic surgeons are more popular than ever as they give hope of not only a new look, but a new life. People today are desperately seeking something new and are willing to do anything to re-create themselves. I keep thinking of the phrases "beauty is only skin deep" and "the new will wear off." The basic point in these sayings is this: surface pleasures that bring joy and excitement do not last as they eventually fade away. Our joy is not on the outside but on our inside. Our happiness begins within us. If we are not fulfilled in who we are in ourselves then we will not ever be able to buy enough new things or make ourselves look good enough to fill the emptiness. How do we find this inner joy? How can we find true contentment? Our verse today is one that should give us all great encouragement and hope. Anyone who comes to Jesus Christ is given a brand new start. "All things have become new." What an amazing promise! Nothing we could ever buy could compare to actually being given a new start in life. Jesus promises us that we not only get a new start, but we become a new creation. We are born again in His Spirit (John 3:3-8) and are forever changed. "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25). Once we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, He wipes all of our sins away and we are given a new start with a new life. If you are in Christ, take hold of this promise today. Do not believe the lies of the enemy who will tell you that you are still the same old sinner. Praise the Lord for His mercies and ask Him to teach you day by day how to live as His new creation. Ask the Lord to help you let go of the past and start living for Him today. Go forward, not backward. The Holy Spirit will lead you. ~Daily Disciples Devotional~ ___________________________ Confident and Secure Today's reading: 1 Kings 18:1-19 After several years of living in hiding, God sends Elijah back to Samaria to confront king Ahab and deal with the tremendous evil that is taking place under his rule. Now Ahab detests Elijah and has been searching for him with ill intent because of the severe drought (and the resulting hardship) Elijah, following God's instruction, had declared on the land three years prior. So as Elijah receives these new instructions from God he clearly knows that Samaria is a hostile and threatening environment for him. Yet, we don't see any hesitation, questioning, doubt or fear from Elijah about returning and confronting Ahab. Rather, a trusting Elijah immediately acts on God's instruction. And when he arrives in Samaria, nothing changes. His demeanor is one of confidence which we see displayed in his interactions with Obadiah and Ahab. What stood out to you the most about Elijah from this passage? What does Elijah show us about following and trusting God when He puts a difficult task or situation before us, or asks us to do something that is outside of our comfort zone?  ~Tami~

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What is the Power in the Blood of Christ? by Adrian Rogers

Blood is throughout Scripture, but what does Christ's blood mean to us? His blood redeems us. There was a price against us that we could not pay, but the blood of Jesus redeemed us. First Peter 1:18-19 says, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." His blood brings us into fellowship with God. According to Ephesians 2:13, "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ." Without the blood of Christ, man is a long way from God. His blood makes peace with God. Man, by nature, is at war with God; and we can only come to God on His peace terms—the blood atonement. The Bible says in Colossians 1:20, "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself ..." His blood cleanses. Not only does it remove the punishment of sin, it removes the pollution. I don't care what sin you've committed; "the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). His blood gives power over the devil. It's the blood that Satan fears. Revelation 12:11 says, "And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb ..." The devil doesn't want you to learn about the blood. He hates it! Before this planet was ever swung into space, God had determined in His heart that He would send His Son to die upon the cross. How wonderful it is to trace the scarlet thread of the blood of Christ woven throughout the Bible! How much more wonderful to experience its redemption personally. Praise God for the blood of His Lamb!