Bible League: Living His Word Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.— Psalms 27:14 NIV Patience is the ability to wait for something. Patience involves trust and hope, and it is a quality that Christians must have and practice. The Bible has many stories of characters who displayed patience even in difficult circumstances. Abraham and Sarah had to wait for 25 years to conceive Isaac; David had to spend years running away from Saul before he became King; Joseph had to go through years of slavery and imprisonment before he became the second-in-command in Egypt, just to mention a few. To understand patience, we see that it is related to the adjective "patient," which means able to accept or tolerate delays without becoming annoyed or anxious. Patience becomes the ability to wait for something and anticipate something great will come at the end. This process of waiting grows our faith in God. Psalms 27:14 says, "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Here the Bible urges us to be patient, there is a repetition of the phrase "wait for the Lord" because the Lord knows waiting is not going to be easy, but we should continue to wait for Him anyway. Therefore, Christians must continue waiting and hoping for the best, because in due time God will fulfill all His promises. The story of Abraham and Sarah is a significant example of people who had patience in the Bible. They had to wait for 25 years after God's promise that Sarah will give birth. Isaac's birth meant the reward of patience. This is contrary to the story of Zachariah. He could not speak after his disbelief in Luke 1:5-25, when the angel Gabriel was sent to deliver God's Word that he and his wife were going to conceive. This is a great example of someone impatient and lacking trust in God's word. Zachariah lacked trust in God's Word which made him skeptical, because he thought Elizabeth couldn't give birth. Patience, therefore, requires obedience, believing and trusting in the Lord. Above all, patience produces character. Zachariah's lack of trust was corrected when the Lord wanted him to exercise patience with His Word. Being patient is a vital part of being a Christian. God is more concerned with our character because this is who we are. He corrects us so that we can be like him. When God wants to build our patience, He gives us promises, sends us trials, and tells us to trust Him. In conclusion, patience is fully trusting that God will, in his own time and in his way, fulfill every promise that He has made to us. Being patient means that we entirely depend on God and that we seek no other option except to wait for Him to fulfill His Word. By Bishop Onismo Goronga, Bible League International partner, Zimbabwe Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 1, 2, 3 Psalm 1 -- BOOK 1: Blessed is the man who doesn't walk in the counsel of the wicked NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 2 -- Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing? NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 3 -- O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Acts 16:1-15 Acts 16 -- Timothy Joins Paul and Silas; Paul's Vision of a Macedonian; Lydia; Conversion of the Philippian Jailer NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion “So pay attention to how you hear. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what they think they understand will be taken away from them.”Insight Applying God's Word helps us grow. This is a principle of growth in physical, mental, and spiritual life. For example, a muscle, when exercised, will grow stronger; but an unused muscle will grow weak and flabby. Challenge If you are not growing stronger, you are growing weaker; it is impossible for you to stand still. How are you using what God has taught you? Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Ephesians 2:19 Fellow citizens with the saints.What is meant by our being citizens in heaven? It means that we are under heaven's government. Christ the king of heaven reigns in our hearts; our daily prayer is, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." The proclamations issued from the throne of glory are freely received by us: the decrees of the Great King we cheerfully obey. Then as citizens of the New Jerusalem, we share heaven's honors. The glory which belongs to beatified saints belongs to us, for we are already sons of God, already princes of the blood imperial; already we wear the spotless robe of Jesus' righteousness; already we have angels for our servitors, saints for our companions, Christ for our Brother, God for our Father, and a crown of immortality for our reward. We share the honors of citizenship, for we have come to the general assembly and Church of the first-born whose names are written in heaven. As citizens, we have common rights to all the property of heaven. Ours are its gates of pearl and walls of chrysolite; ours the azure light of the city that needs no candle nor light of the sun; ours the river of the water of life, and the twelve manner of fruits which grow on the trees planted on the banks thereof; there is nought in heaven that belongeth not to us. "Things present, or things to come," all are ours. Also as citizens of heaven we enjoy its delights. Do they there rejoice over sinners that repent--prodigals that have returned? So do we. Do they chant the glories of triumphant grace? We do the same. Do they cast their crowns at Jesus' feet? Such honors as we have we cast there too. Are they charmed with his smile? It is not less sweet to us who dwell below. Do they look forward, waiting for his second advent? We also look and long for his appearing. If, then, we are thus citizens of heaven, let our walk and actions be consistent with our high dignity. Daily Light on the Daily Path Matthew 10:24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.John 13:13 "You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. Matthew 10:25 "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household! John 15:20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A slave is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 17:14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Hebrews 12:3,4 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. • You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; Hebrews 12:1,2 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, • fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 1 Peter 4:1 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. 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