Verse of the Day - weekend 6/11

Through the Bible - Jeremiah 18-21, Matthew 23:23 - 24:28

 

Good morning,

Yesterday we considered N.T. Wright's question "How can you live with the terrifying thought that the hurricane has become human"?  I believe you have the answer, and if you are familiar with the David Crowder song that I referenced yesterday, the chorus to the song gives us the answer.

 

And oh, how He loves us oh
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all

He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves us,
Oh how He loves.

 

He loves us as shown to us in His grace and mercy, sometimes this mercy comes at us in ways we wouldn't consider as mercy, bending us, shaping us into the people we are to be.  God is patient with us and we must learn patience as we are being formed by Him.

 

For today's verse we'll go to James 1 where Jesus' half brother; who at one time did not believe Jesus was the Christ, penned these words.

 

James 1:3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. NKJV

Life's hurricanes can test our faith.  But we see in these verses what they can do for us.

 

Tim Keller in "King's Cross" quotes Thomas Cranmer's prayer "grant that we may follow the example of Jesus' patience".    Keller writes, "What does he mean by patience?  Patience is love for the long haul; it is bearing up under difficult circumstances, without giving up or giving in to bitterness.  Patience means working when grafification is delayed.  It means taking what life offers - even when it means suffering - without lashing out."  And when you're in a situation that you're troubled over or when there's a delay or pressure on you or something's not happening that you want to happen, there's always a temptation to come to the end of your patience."

 

Keller's statement "patience is love for the long haul" really struck me.  It is something lacking in society, churches, families and in the relationship between husbands and wives.  You may have lost your patience at times during the storms as the disciples did on many occasions.  Jesus showed patience in all of the storms.  He gives us the grace and the power through His spirit with His love to have patience "for the long haul' ourselves.

 

Lord willing, we'll talk about that power tomorrow.

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

James 1:2-9

 

Profiting from Trials

 

2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.   NKJV