The Difficulty of Waiting

I am often an impatient person. If I am waiting for a package to be delivered, I am always checking updates on its progress. If I am waiting in line at a traffic light, I start to get anxious as I don’t see the cars quickly moving when the light turns green. In our rush to get things done, patience is becoming more scarce among us. The hardest wait, however, is the wait for a loved one to return, whether from work travel or military deployment or estrangement.

Isaiah 30:18 says, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for him.” The Lord is a God of great mercy and justice, so He waits for us to humbly come to Him when we have sinned and walked away. His mercy is great, even when we have wronged Him. He extends grace to us to awaken our need to come to Him. We should pass this blessing of mercy onto others who offend us and be patient with them.

Follow His Word

If we listen to the words of law enforcement officers and follow the guidelines of the law, we can live uprightly in the sight of society. If we listen to our teachers, we will not only learn the subject matter, but also gain information and skills that will benefit our lives and the lives of those around us.

Psalm 1:1-3 says, “1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” God blessed us with His Word for truth and wisdom. We pass on this blessing to others through sharing His Word with them and bearing the fruit of a godly life.

Kindness Received, Kindness Given

A few years ago a movement called “Pass It Forward” became popular, largely based upon a movie. The idea was to pass on to others the kindnesses that we receive. The movie told the story of a boy who did so and sparked a wave of kindness through his school and family.

Psalm 41:1-3 says, “Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort.” The Lord is kind to us in our weaknesses. He rescues us when we face trouble. He protects us when we are weak. He cares for us when we are sick, easing our pain and discomfort. Therefore we should be kind and care for those who are also weak, passing forward the blessings that we receive and modeling the kindness of God.

Amazon Warehouse

Amazon has distribution centers around the country. Each center receives goods from a variety of suppliers with the goal and purpose of delivering these goods to consumers who purchase the items online. The distribution center would be useless and a harm to Amazon if it did not deliver goods as they were purchased.

Genesis 12:1-3 says, “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'” One of the important reasons that God blesses us is so that we can bless others with the blessings we have received. For instance, He loves us in such a way that we can love others. Don’t become useless to God, others, and yourself by failing to pass on the blessings you receive from God onto others.

Faithfulness

We seem to have a problem with faithfulness in our culture. Marriages and relationships break down at the slightest inconvenience. Our political opinions waffle with the seasons apparently. Our resolve to work hard and live uprightly seems to have vanished.

I Thessalonians 5:23-24 says, “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” We are called by God for more than only salvation. He has called us to be conformed into His likeness and will faithfully perform the work of sanctifying us in our spirit, soul, and body , if we allow Him to do so.