BLESSED WITH PATIENCE, CROWNED WITH LIFE
January 21, 2020
Prayer: Lord may I be patient and “Wait upon the You” to work in the situations that are still to be fulfilled. May I be persistent in prayer and not give up or give in. Help me to stand strong when I am feeling weak.
Scripture: God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him James 1:12NLT
Where are you today in the life God has planned for you to live? Are you struggling with obedience– or rather disobedience? Are you confused? Are you wondering where the ‘success’ is and when it is coming into the endeavors of your every days? In places around the world I have met and been blessed by believers who have learned what it means to ‘wait upon the Lord.’ Yet in our fast-paced, hedonistic North American culture we struggle to get past a few minutes of waiting, let alone weeks, months, and years. But, for us who are Christ followers, the life we live is not about our own plans and desires. Our life is lived in the priority of God’s timing and for the Lord’s purposes– bringing others to Him. Testing is different than Temptation. God does not tempt, we do well enough on that score all by ourselves. We tempt ourselves to give in to the lusts of the flesh, or the desires of immediate personal gratification. Our culture trains us to do this and we foster more and more of that same impatient culture from generation to generation.
Patience, however, is a virtue that we often know little about. Yet God’s word is filled with encouragement for us to become a patient people; to patiently endure testing; to patiently persevere in God’s purposes. James encourages us with this clear reminder that is the heart’s deepest hope for Christ’s people. After the patient endurance comes a reword– the crown of life promised by God. God who spoke all of the complex creation into being has already spoken into existence your Crown of life. He did that when you spoke His name and yielded your heart to become His child. When you opened yourself to a new union with the Holy Spirit, you became part of eternity with God Himself. I pray that you will meditate upon this thought as you prepare for this next day’s tasks. Be blessed because whatever you do is done for the Lord’s glory.
Copyright Dan Elliott. Email [email protected]