Patience is a learning curve . . .

They say patience is a virtue. I know for certain that it doesn’t come naturally. Children are impatient little creatures and do not outgrow it. It is a virtue by choice. I can choose to be patient with my grandkids, patient in traffic, patient when my sewing thread knots; the list is long for just the ordinary stuff of life.

The Bible tells me to be patient about a lot of things too. One of them involves waiting for Jesus to come. James 5:7 says, “Be patient, therefore, brothers (and sisters) until the coming of the Lord.” In context, it describes the Lord’s admonition to rich people who abuse their situation in life. With this, I realize I must also be patient with those who seem to get away with a sinful lifestyle . . .

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. (James 5:1–6)

The old saw, “You cannot take it with you” is true, yet not a lot of comfort for those who have nothing to enjoy here. This isn’t just about money. I talked with a man last week who has diabetes. He could not understand why, what caused it, or why his efforts to live well were not working. He was obviously envious of those who are healthy and expressed his lack of patience in a God who didn’t seem to hear his prayers.

The above passage talks about the transient value of money. What about youth and good looks? They are transient too. However, I know a woman who is in her fifties and dresses like a teen. Although she is a grandmother, she refuses to be called one. She is determined to stay in the category of bombshell even though the wrinkles of age are making their mark.

At the other extreme are those who are aging and want to be out of this life. They are tired, have lost all their friends, and the stuff they once enjoyed is no longer fun. Life for them was once filled with the good things but that is no more. They just want out.

My mother once told me that all the hobbies and fun things I enjoyed would one day lose their charm. At the time, I didn’t agree with her. How could that happen? Yet as I grow older, I no longer want to do a dozen things at a time or be busy all day. One project is enough. Keeping up with household chores like cooking and cleaning is almost enough. I make quilts for people but am fully aware that they will not last forever, nor will I.

At one time I wanted to make my mark on the world, not like the rich people James describes who did their thing at the expense of others, yet nevertheless had ambitions. Now this has changed and learning to be patient is a more important goal. If life interrupts my plans, I’m not in a tizzy about the interruption. God has control of such things. Also, Jesus is going to return. That could be tomorrow and if it is, what significance do those plans have? None at all.

“Be patient until the coming of the Lord” is all encompassing. Patient with those who seem to have no concern for anyone other than themselves. Patient with God and His dealings in my life. Patient with getting older and losing my youth, patient with aches and pains or a heart that needs a computer to beat properly. Patient with young family members who are learning to be patient. Patient with thread knots, and the telephone ringing when I’m having a bubble bath, and telemarketers trying to sell me new windows, and the endless cook-eat-wash up routines of life. Patient with God whose answers to my prayers are sometimes so slow.

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Lord Jesus, I’m thankful that I am not one of those people who got rich by fraud and excessive self-indulgence. I’m thankful that Your patience with me has been a learning curve, not a string of disappointments. I’m also glad that patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit because left to me, I’d still be whining, “I want what I want right now.” You are good. I can wait until You return, with patience. Some days just barely, but since You never leave me or forsake me, I can wait until I see Your precious face.

Today’s thankful list . . .

- Long lovely drive in the country.

- Seeing harvest happening.

- Seeing family and laughing together.

- Homemade tomato soup with cheese and crackers.

- Our hockey team won again.

- The smell of fresh laundry.

Trust and obey, there is no other way . . .

Yesterday my hubby and I talked about how simplicity blesses our lives. The more stuff we get rid of, the more content we feel. The more we live by the foundational  truths found in Scripture, the more blessed our lives. Know and live by the Word of God. Talk to Him. Rely on Him for everything. Don’t get tangled up in worldly values but keep our focus on spiritual truths and righteousness.

This morning, these two passages show that God’s ways reflect who He is: the same yesterday, today and forever. In the Old Testament, He says this:

“Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23–24)

Being wise according to the worlds evaluation of wisdom does not impress God, nor does wealth. He looks for faith and an ever-increasing knowledge of who He is — with those same characteristics showing up in our lives too. I can practice steadfast love, justice and righteousness because He sent Jesus to live in me and to change me into His likeness.

In the New Testament, Paul writes to Timothy outlining the same values:

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you. (1 Timothy 6:17–21)

Those who have money (having money is not a sin) must not be proud of that or set their hopes in it. Being rich is too uncertain but God is unwavering and the source of all that anyone could ever need or want. Trust in Him. The rich person can be rich in goodness, generosity and in that find out what real life is all about. Whatever God entrusts me with, I’m to guard it, realizing all true treasures come from Him.

These verses also stress not to follow worldly wisdom, often identified as “knowledge” or by the amount of education someone has. It seems true that the more a person knows, the more contradictory that ‘information’ becomes. Setting my priorities on gaining knowledge only works well if that knowledge involves knowing and understanding God.

This brings me back to the ‘keep it simple’ conversion of yesterday. We can easily complicate issues with theories, theologies and endless debate, yet the easier way is to get on my knees and into the Word seeking God’s will on every matter, and then doing whatever He wants me to do about it. One author puts this into a triangle with promise (find what God wants), faith (believe He will do it), and patience (wait for His answer) at each point.

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Lord Jesus, I can hear my own doubt questioning if walking with You really that simple. And Your Spirit echoes back with “God is not the author of confusion.” My doubts about simplicity are not from You. Money complicates life. Knowledge can also complicated life. Having one or the other or both requires Your discipline to keep life simple and not let those temporary things swerve my heart from trusting You and doing as You say.

Today’s thankful list . . .

A long sleep and feeling rested.

Driving in the sunshine.

Having supper with my hubby in a restaurant that smells like garlic and makes wonderful pasta.

Being able to phone family and chat.

The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Does my family tree really matter?

Years ago we had friends whose interests were not like ours. To build a relationship, I began searching family history and trying to discovery our genealogical roots, a hobby of theirs. At first, it was interesting but I soon became bored. No one in our family wanted this information except one cousin who was trying to find a living relative, not any who had died.

Since then, I’ve met folks who do this research for other reasons including health. Our friends are still looking into their roots, speculating what might have happened to this uncle or that great aunt. Aside from historical interest, I’ve wondered if there is any spiritual  value to this, realizing that at least one religious group are heavily involved in genealogies.

Even though I’ve read this passage many times, I never noticed what it said about this topic until this morning. Paul writes to the pastor of the church in Ephesus with these instructions . . .

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane . . . . (1 Timothy 1:3–9, emphasis mine)

False doctrine was a problem in that early church. So also was being side-tracked by non-issues, even myths. A myth is a “traditional story that usually concerns the early history of a people or explains a natural or social phenomenon typically involving supernatural beings or events.” It can also be a widely held but false belief or idea.

Interesting that myth and genealogies are tied together in this Bible passage. A genealogy is a line of descent traced continuously from an ancestor. My experience is that even finding ancient birth and death records, newspaper clippings, and other visible evidence, most of the study of ancestors winds up with more myth to it than provable facts. This study, as Paul says, side-tracked them and me from more deeply knowing Christ and growing in faith.

From this passage, I can see a link that is not strong yet makes me wonder. The largest group involved in genealogy have a reason for doing this. They trace family trees to find ancestors who died without learning about their version of the gospel, wanting all relatives baptized by proxy into their faith. For them, genealogy is a way to save more souls and family history is a requirement for getting to heaven. They believe they will meet all their ancestors and be part of one giant, eternally bound family. Since everyone is related to everyone, their research is incredibly vast.

This belief system goes beyond what was happening in Ephesus yet something like it was side-tracking those early Christians. This indicates that genealogy is just another one of the liar’s devices to keep people from realizing and living out the truth that is in Jesus. As Paul says, they wander away into vain discussion with their rules and laws, not understanding the reason God gave the Law, nor the grace that brings us into a productive relationship with Jesus Christ.

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Lord Jesus, You showed me again that my curiosity can be both a good thing and not. I can easily be drawn into endless pursuits that are a total waste of time, genealogy being one of them. As I said to my friend (who is also losing interest), I want to think more about where I am going than where I have been. Family history can be fascinating but knowing the family of God and the joy we will share together in eternity is far more exciting. One day heaven will be filled with the sons and daughters of those who have put their faith in You. Our family tree is not the issue because what we do with Your offer of forgiveness and eternal life will determine our destiny.

Today’s thankful list . . .

Heaven’s population will be people related by faith in Christ, not by blood or DNA.

I enjoy being with God’s eternal family right now.

A day to work on a charity quilt.

Hubby has Fridays off to golf, catch up on household stuff, and just relax.

Thinking today how God supplies all my needs.