Long Suffering  

One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life. ~Chinese Proverb

I was studying about long suffering recently because I struggle with this issue.  When I start studying a specific topic I often start with the definition of the word to help me better understand and also to jump start my study.  The definition of long-suffering is enduring injury, trouble, or provocation long and patiently.  This is an element of patience where you have the ability to suffer a long time under the mistreatment of others without growing resentful or bitter. 

This is a tough one for me.  Paul talks about long-suffering in the life of a godly person and the characteristics and qualities of this special type of love.  He talks about it in the nine traits of the fruit of the Spirit and again in Colossians in which Christians are to clothe themselves in it.

The way we grow in this is to first entrust ourselves to God.  We must depend on God to repay as in Romans 12:19.  We are called to turn this around and depend on God’s justice and also pray for God’s forgiveness of our tormentors just as Jesus and Stephen prayed for their executioners.

Second, we must develop a faithfulness in God to work on our behalf. (1 Peter 4:19) God takes the deliberately harmful acts of others and turns them into acts for good for us as well as others.  When we don’t retaliate, this often shows others who reacted in anger, that we are showing long-suffering which translates into God’s love being reflected through us to the other person.

A third thing is we can be provoked into anger or wrath by others.  We are then placed in a position to retaliate.  When we exercise patience when we are provoked we emulate our Heavenly Father. 

This is a difficult thing for me and I struggle with it every day.  I remind myself that God is long-suffering with me.  He has waited this long to allow me the time to be more like Him.   That is an amazing amount of long-suffering.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to be long-suffering but I struggle with impatience and anger.  I am not always patient with others and sometimes I lose my temper and become angry and that is not what you call me to be.  I need Your help to overcome these sins that abide in me.  I want to replace these with love and long-suffering.                 

Scripture:  But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.  2 Peter 3:8-10

Computers  

 

Truth is, I wouldn't know a gigabyte from a snakebite. ~Dolly Parton

This weekend our computer went kaput (literally unable to operate or continue).  My husband used it in the morning and by the afternoon it wouldn’t start.  We tried all the usual things ordinary folks do to fix it.  Reboot, press the on button, remove and replace the battery, switch plugs, change power strips and try a different wall socket.  Ok, so we aren’t computer geniuses but at least we have the basics on geekness. 

Since my husband needs the computer for work we decided to take it to a computer store to have it checked.  We got in the line that was for computer burn-ups.  We waited with all the other people returning big screen TV’s, computers and other miscellaneous items.

This is what I just love about retailers.  You get in one line that handles all kinds of miscellaneous things and when you get to one of the two cash registers the person behind the counter tells you your computer needs work but if you need to check out something you have to get back in the same line and go to the other cash register. 

Anyway we wait in line only to find out what we already knew.  The mother board burned up.  What does that mean?  Whoever came up with calling the guts of a computer a mother board? The guy told us since it was an older computer it would pretty much cost us about as much to repair it as it would to buy a new one.

Since we had already looked at three other stores to price computers, we had determined that this was the cheapest place to get a new one.  So we head back to the computer department.  How many of you really understand all the options that come on a computer? 

One of the computers we looked at had 3^rd Generation Intel, 3M Cache up to 3.1 GHz, LED Display with TrueLife, a 500GB 5400 RPM SATA Hard drive and it weighed 6.05 lbs.  I think the purpose here is to confuse the buyer so much with letters and numbers that your brain will be so scrambled that you will take the first one and run.  About the only thing I understood here was that it was light enough to carry. 

The older I get the more I love the simple things in life.  Sunrises and sunsets and on a clear night you can see the moon and the stars.  Riding a bicycle and taking a walk in the country, sitting on the porch swing listening to the birds and watching my dog run and play.  The simple pleasure of laughing and having nothing to do but just be.  The thing is all of the simple things in life were created by our Heavenly Father for us to appreciate.  That is also where we will find Him.  We won’t always find Him in the hustle and bustle of life.   He is in the quiet and stillness where we can go to Him anytime and pour out our heart to Him.  Take some time to enjoy Him in the simple things of life.   

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am guilty of getting caught up in the business of the world and not slowing down to spend time with You.  I honestly don’t know a gigahertz from a megabyte but I do know You and I praise you for making that simple.

Scripture:  Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.  For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,  who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Mail In Rebate  

 

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.   For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10

Am I the only one who gets irritated by mail in rebates?  I am the kind of gal who wants a get what you see when I shop.  I have a theory.  The mail in rebate is a ploy to get you in the store for a low price.  The catch is when you get in there you are still going to pay the full price you just have to go through a ton of paperwork to get the price you originally came in to pay. 

It is kind of sad really.  Instead of charging you a less expensive price in the first place, retailers are counting on you coming in and wanting the item so badly that you will pay the full price anyway. Since the majority of people don’t want to go through the hassle of filling out a bunch of forms and then mailing them in, then waiting for them to send you a check, or in some cases a gift card to purchase more of their stuff, the majority of people just don’t bother and the retailer knows this so they make the same amount of money they were going to charge you anyway.    

I want to be able to buy something at face value.  I am tired of the fine print.  The stuff that tells you what you are really getting.  I have started going immediately to the fine print because that is where the true cost is.  This same thing happens with people.  You want to trust what people say and do but that is just the surface that we see.  We have a tendency as humans to use others for our own purpose.  Many times the fine print is what we don’t say and do. 

One of the things that I love so much about God is that he doesn’t use a big advertisement to draw us in and then smack us with the fine print.  What you see is what you get.  There are no hidden agendas or forms you have to fill out in order to get salvation.  He doesn’t hide the steps in tiny letters you can’t read without a magnifying glass, under a big picture of Jesus hanging on the cross.  It is simple and to the point.  Jesus died for our sins.  You can have salvation.  Jesus paid.  We win if we choose to.  That is the best advertisement ever and many choose to refuse. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I praise You for offering me salvation without the fine print.  I am free to choose You at any time and I am not required to fill out a form and You don’t draw me in with false advertising about what salvation costs.  You state exactly what it cost.  Jesus life on a cross for my sin.  The highest price ever paid and I am forever grateful. 
            
Scripture:  I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its bud, As the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Isaiah 61:10-11

 

Bad Driving  

 

Real Life Insurance Claims

I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way.

I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.

I knew the dog was possessive about the car but I would not have asked her to drive it if I had thought there was any risk.

Coming home I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I haven’t got.

Cow wandered into my car. I was afterwards informed that the cow was half-witted.

I wonder if I am the only one who notices bad drivers.  This morning I get on the freeway and there is a van in front of me.  I am several car lengths behind him so it gives me plenty of time to observe his driving habits. 

First, I notice he had a big dent in the back panel of the van.  Well I know there are a lot of people driving around with dents in their car so I don’t think much of it.  So I let my mind wander on to other things when all of a sudden he bounces off of the retaining wall in the center of the road.  He swerves a little bit then continues driving.  I’m thinking most people would pull over to see what kind of damage was done to the car.  Not this guy.  He just kept on driving. 

At this point I decide to get over in the lane farthest from where he is driving because I am not taking any chances with this guy.  As I drive by I see he has a big dent in the driver’s side of the car.  I pull past him and then he changes lanes and gets behind me.  The first thing that popped into my head is maybe this guy wants a dent on every side of the car so they will all match and since he doesn’t have one in the front maybe he wants to hit me from behind.

I must admit that I started speeding.  I couldn’t get away from this guy fast enough.  Then I look up in front of me and a car crosses two lanes and then pulls over in the median and passes another car in the fast lane in the median. 

This started me thinking, how many times do we pray to God that we will have a safe journey wherever we are going.  The number of times God has saved me in bad driving situations are too numerous to count. God blesses us in the smallest ways every day and sometimes we don’t even realize it.  So today I thank God for the blessing of getting me to work in one piece and not letting that guy driving the dented van use me as a decoration for the front of his car. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, there are days when I don’t even remember how I got to work.  I get distracted and I will sit down at my desk and not even remember how I got there. I pray that You will help me to keep my eyes focused on You. Thank you for saving me and protecting me.  
           
Scripture:   Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:5-7

Work  

God gave us two ends - one to sit on and one to think with. Success depends on which one you use. Head you win, tail you lose. ~Author Unknown

I used to think of work as a means to an end.  If I worked hard at my job I would get paid and then I could provide whatever resources I needed to survive.  The problem with this type of thinking is that I was not working for the right reason.  The other side of this is that it was all about “me”. 

From the beginning of time God created Adam and Eve to work.  They were to tend the Garden of Eden and to spend time with God.  The problem came when they thought they could do it better than God. 

God created each of us with skills and abilities that meet various needs.  Our work is not just a means in which we can earn money to pay the bills or become successful.  Our work should be used as the primary path of our Christian walk where we do good deeds so that others may see God through us. 

We spend the majority of our time at work and opportunities abound to do good works for God in every aspect of our work.  When we do those good works it makes people take notice.  Why?  Because most people will not take the time to do good works because that would take away from their primary goal to make money and become successful. 

So many times we get so involved in what we are doing that we don’t notice the other people around us that might need a helping hand.  I had an incident where an older lady was walking up to the grocery store and I was walking up at the same time.  The grocery carts were a distance from the entrance to the store so as I walked up I asked her if I could get her a basket.  She looked at me as if I had grown two heads.  She didn’t respond and kept walking but at least I knew I had done what God would have wanted me to do.  The thing we need to remember is that we won’t always get acknowledgement for good deeds here on earth.  But the most important One of all knows and that is what makes the difference.

Success to me doesn’t mean how much money I have or the things I own.  Success means doing God’s will and helping others where possible.  True success will come in heaven not here on earth.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I want to use the talents you gave me for Your Glory.  In all I do I want to always think of You and what it means for Your Kingdom.  Please always remind me that my work is part of what You created me to do so that others would come to know You.             

Scripture:  For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:26-28

 

Religious  

 

How can the Church be received as a trustworthy guide in the invisible, which falls into so many errors in the visible? ~John W. Draper

We as Christians have a great responsibility to others.  The thing is we will be judged more harshly by others when we claim Christianity. 

I had a conversation last week that stopped me in my tracks.  I was talking to a gentleman and had asked him what he was doing for Thanksgiving.  He explained that he was going to spend it with his wife.  I asked if he had any other family and he told me his wife had a sister but they didn’t get along.  He told me she was very religious and that her children were also.  He said when they got together on rare occasions, he always felt judged so they didn’t enjoy spending time with them. 

This started me thinking about our lives as Christians.  We walk a very fine line because we will be judged more harshly by non-Christians just because of our faith.  It also means that we have to be more careful in the life we lead on earth. 

When he made the comment I was speechless.  I wasn’t really sure how to respond.  I wanted to proclaim my faith but I was unprepared to respond in a way that would draw him closer to faith and not push him further away.  It is a question I often ask myself.  How do you draw others to Christ without turning them off completely? 

I think the answer lies somewhere between what we say and how we live.  If we don’t live every day reflecting the Christian life that God expects, then how will be prove to someone who is not a Christian, that there is another better life. 

I admit I struggle with this every day and pray that I will be prepared with an answer the next time that issue comes up. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am sometimes speechless when someone comments about Christians judging other non-believers.  I want to draw them to You but sometimes I don’t know how to answer.  I pray that You will give me the words to say but also let my actions in my daily life always reflect what a true Christian should be.              

Scripture:  I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.  Philemon 1:4-7

Distraction  

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.  See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence.... We need silence to be able to touch souls. ~Mother Teresa

Do you ever get so distracted and do things repetitively so much so that you do something stupid?  I do.  Last night I decided to get my coffee pot ready before I went to bed.  I normally get up every morning at 5:00 and get my coffee pot ready, but I decided I would save some of my morning time and do it the night before. 

Well I must have been distracted, because this morning when I got up to turn on the coffee pot, I lifted the lid where the grounds go and there were none.  So my mind immediately goes to “I know I did this last night.  I know my husband didn’t touch it because he doesn’t drink coffee and the dog can’t reach the coffee pot so it wasn’t him." 

I decided to check the trash.  Last night I ground the coffee, placed it in the filter placed it in the container that holds the filter and then I proceeded to throw it in the trash.  I don’t even remember doing it. 

There are times that I do this very same thing with God.  I get distracted by the things of this life and I will get to church and instead of paying attention to the message I will start thinking about all of the things that need to be done when I leave church.  Instead of worshiping the Father, I worship the things of this life. 

I have learned that I need a place that is totally silent for me to meditate on what God wants to teach me.  I can’t play music because that distracts me, and I certainly can’t watch TV.  I have to remove myself from all of the distractions around me to totally focus my attention on the One who created me. 

I also learned that you have to pick your place of solitude.  My time is in the morning when I get to work.  There are few people in the office and very little noise.  It gives me a solid hour of time to just think and meditate on God’s Word.  If you have never spent quality time with God, pick a place.  Talk to Him.  Listen for His voice.  You will be amazed at what you hear.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, I am often distracted by the things in this life.  It can be something minor that can take my attention away from you.  Please forgive me for not giving you my undivided attention.  I want to build my personal relationship with you and I can’t do that if I am constantly thinking about the next thing I need to do.             

Scripture:  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19:14