Run with Patience

I cried out to God with my voice – to God with my voice; and He gave ear to me.  In the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord; my hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing; my soul refused to be comforted.  I remembered God, and was troubled; I complained and my spirit was overwhelmed.  You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled I cannot speak.  I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.  I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search. 

Will the Lord cast off forever?  And will He be favorable no more?  Has His mercy ceased forever?  Has His promise failed forevermore?  Has God forgotten to be gracious?  Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies?

And I said, “This is my anguish; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.”  I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old.  I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.  Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary; who is so great a God as our God?  You are the God who does wonders; You have declared your strength among the peoples.  You have with Your arm redeemed Your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph.

The waters saw You, O God; the waters saw You, they were afraid; the depths also trembled.  The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a sound; Your arrows also flashed about.  The voice of Your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightening lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.  Your way was in the sea, Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps were not known.  You led Your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Ephesians 4:15   …but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things unto Him who is the head – Christ… 

God gave us language to be able to communicate – to allow us to talk, express ideas and opinions, provide information, and share our hearts.  Some people choose to communicate in hurtful ways, saying words which cause pain.  We, as believers however, are to communicate differently.  Paul wrote that our words should always be truthful and spoken in love.  Think about how many times a day we speak.  What if every word had to be passed through a filter of truthfulness, love, and edification?  Would we have any words left?  It would be good if we would think before speaking.  Words are powerful and, as such, need to be used carefully.

Proverbs 24:16  For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity. 

Jude 24  Now to him Who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.   

Jude makes it clear that God is able to keep us from slipping and stumbling.  However, He also knows that every failure has seeds of growth.  He knows that apart from failure, we would have no need of His forgiveness, His communion, or His help.  In His hands, failure can become one of life’s greatest teachers.  His hands can use failure to refine us in ways successes cannot.  Failure can reach down into the very depths of our souls and expose pockets of selfishness, pride, etc.  It makes us more aware of our own limitations and humbles us.  It increases our sensitivity to others and reminds us that God is not finished with us yet but has promised He will complete the work He has begun in us.

Peter is a good example of someone who fell.  He had boldly told Jesus, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble. “ (Matt. 26:33)  He insisted he would never fail, but Jesus stopped Peter’s bravado short when He told him failure would indeed come that very night.   Most of us know how Peter failed Jesus that night by denying Him three times.  Frankly, Peter’s failure had begun the moment he became overconfident and insisted he would never fail. 

Sometimes our first response to failure can be to focus on the failure.  “My ministry is over,” “God will never be able to use me again,” “My kids will be damaged for life.”  Although we must be concerned for the present, we must be careful not to focus on it exclusively.  We need to allow God to help us put failure into the proper perspective. 

Failure is never final until a person quits trying.  As we continue to try, failure is really only a setback and an opportunity to learn from our mistakes.  Proverbs contrasts the righteous person and the wicked person.   The righteous may fall time and time again, but he or she gets back up and keeps trying.  When the wicked person falls, however, he or she is led into a downward spiral that causes calamity.  There is no recovery, no hope, no more trying.

Failure is a part of the human experience.  It can be painful but it can also be a great teacher.  God’s definition of success does not preclude failure, but it does include a willingness to refuse to quit, to learn from our mistakes, and to try again.  Failure can be our greatest teacher.  It can destroy us, or it can immobilize us, or it can simply teach us a lesson about what not to do.  It can rub off our rough edges and soften our hearts.  It can be the first step towards being a great success.  God can use our failures, whatever they may be, to make us the people He wants us to be.

I’ve just come from my younger son’s wedding rehearsal.  Tomorrow is the big day.  I’m hoping and praying so much for him at this time.  I found two quotes by Martin Luther that spoke to my heart in this tonight.  Maybe they will speak to you as well.

Let the wife make her husband glad to come home and let him make her sorry to see him leave.

To have peace and love in a marriage is a gift that is next to the knowledge of the gospel.

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15  But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you; nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.  For even when we were with you, we commanded you this:  If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.  For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.  Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.  But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.  And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.  Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

A sense of entitlement.  It seems to be growing more and more in our society.  It’s a spirit of dullness and a spirit of “give me” and it seems to be invading our workplace and our nation.  This is not a new thing, not even among Christians.  Paul was writing this epistle during a time when some of the Thessalonians believers had stopped working.  It seems they were relying on the generosity of their fellow believers, supposedly for the sake of being spiritual and waiting for the second coming of Christ – or maybe they were just being lazy.  Whatever it was, Paul had harsh words for this sense of entitlement.

Paul begins this by stating that we are to withdraw from people who are disorderly.  Who are the disorderly?  Paul defines them as those who will not work.    This command in the Greek has the force of a military command and is given in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is our Supreme Commander.  The word “withdraw” (stellesthai) means to stay away from; to have no fellowship with.    We are not to be identified in any way with these disorderly people who will not work.  Hanging out with people can also cause them to believe we condone their behavior.  We are to be careful not to do this.

This passage gives four reasons why we are to withdraw from the disorderly.  Verse 6 tells us that the person who does not work disobeys God’s commands and instructions.  The word “tradition” (paradosin) means all the Word of God, whether taught or written.  Pau says he had already taught these people the value of working as it applies to the commands of God and so they are without excuse.  If they continue in this life style, believers are to withdraw from them.  The second reason we are to withdraw is because they have examples and so should know better.  Paul worked day and night in labor and toil.  As a minister of the gospel, he had a right to be supported but chose not to be because he could set a dynamic example for these people.  This is not saying ministers should not be paid a real wage.  Paul obviously saw a problem with these particular people and was trying to set an example. 

Another reason we are to withdraw from disorderly people is because they lose their right to eat.  It can’t be stated any plainer: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.  Note that this is also a command.  Again this is not talking about those who are truly disabled or unable to find employment.  This is taking about people who choose not to work – who choose to sit around doing nothing all day.  There are too many people in the world who are destitute, desperate, and dying.  Almost every church could put people to work, helping the truly needy.  The fourth reason is that those who are idle tend to be busybodies.  Our minds are active things and are never still.  Either it is busy thinking positive, productive thoughts or it is busy thinking negative thoughts.  This is why so many idle people, especially young people, get into trouble today. 

Verses 12-13 command us all to work.  Again this is a forceful command, a command that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are to earn our living in quietness in contrast to being busybodies.  We’re to work with a quiet spirit and mind our own business – being efficient workers.  We are not to get weary in doing good.  Don’t slack – be a good example for others as unto the Lord.  Some values and goals are important when we consider our work:

·         Pursue your life’s choice of work as a calling from God, whatever it might be, believing that He will guide and prepare you to accomplish a good work.

·         Increase understanding of your interests, personality, style, gifts, and talents.

·         Increase your skill and usability of universal job skills such as analytical thinking, evaluating skills, learning good communication, writing, speaking skills, interpersonal relationship skills, and problem solving skills.

·         Whatever you do, do it with thanksgiving and praise and give glory to God for any achievement.

Work is good for us.  When God placed Adam in the garden, He gave him work to do.  When we see our work as God-given, we have a whole new perspective.  It’s not a necessary evil that takes time away from “spiritual” things, but a gift from God through which we are to grow spiritually and minister to others.  This is the solution for the sense of entitlement.  It also gives a sense of real purpose and the right kind of self esteem.   God needs people in all walks of life in order to reach those who have not heard the good news of salvation. 

This is one of my favorite hymns of all time.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine!
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness Divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Charles Wesley

Mark 5:25-34  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she had heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?”  But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘who touched Me?’”  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Alone, sick, and apparently without hope, this woman was looking for a last resort.  She was not supposed to be in that crowd that day.  She was not to be in public because others night touch her and become unclean themselves.  Because of her condition, she was considered unclean by law.  No one could touch her nor anything she had touched.  She was totally cut off from society and religious worship and had been for 12 years.  She had “suffered many things from many physicians.”  Don’t you wonder what things she suffered from these men?  Yet through all that she didn’t get better, she grew worse.  There was nowhere else for her to turn.  She had used all of her resources and seen the physicians.  But is it not this sense of unworthiness and hopelessness that touches the very heart of Jesus? 

She heard that Jesus was coming to town and she knew He could heal her.  She elbowed her way through the crowd and came up behind Jesus.  She wanted to touch Jesus without being seen or noticed because she was embarrassed and felt unworthy.  Her hemorrhaging was a personal, intimate matter for her, something she didn’t want others to know about and discuss.  She was unclean; therefore she felt unworthy to approach Jesus.   How we struggle to hide certain things in our lives – embarrassing things, personal matters, secret matters – but these are all known and understood by Jesus.  He never wishes to cause us embarrassment or shame.  He is just waiting for us to approach Him with an understanding of our unworthiness and hopelessness without Him.

She approached Jesus not only with a sense of unworthiness and hopelessness, but with an attitude of expectancy.  She had heard of Jesus and believed that He could make her whole again.  Look at her thoughts, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”  She believed in her thoughts, in her heart, in the place within herself where her innermost being talks with her heart.  She believed two things:  the gospel (what she had heard about Jesus) and the power of Jesus to make her whole.  This same expectant, believing attitude is essential for any of us to come to Jesus, whether we are hopeless or not.  We have to believe in the gospel and the power of Jesus to make us whole.  Her reaching out and touching His garment of clothing showed the depth of this faith, this attitude of believing  expectancy.

As soon as she touched Jesus, the woman was healed.  Jesus, of course, knew who had touched Him, but He asked the question, “Who touched my clothes?”   so she could show her faith.  He made the healing easy for her without embarrassment but she needed to confess Jesus publicly.  It’s interesting to me that the healing cost Jesus.  Spiritual power had flowed out of Him to the woman.  The expenditure took a toll and He felt the power drain from His body.  Imagine the enormous amount of power that must have drained from His body from the time of His first miracle to the cross.  Then imagine the flow of power that flowed from the cross, covering believers of all generations.  He poured out his power for all of us.   I don’t think the disciples understood what it cost Jesus to minister.  They were insensitive to the spiritual energy he was expending.  They were somewhat surprised at his questions about who touched Him.  He was in the midst of a crowd – how could He possibly expect not to be touched?  They didn’t understand that he was not only taking our infirmities and bearing our sicknesses but was teaching that public confession of Him was essential.  The woman confessed – it was difficult and embarrassing but she did it.  Then He told her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” What a wonderful result.  Jesus granted the request of the hopeless.  She received peace and was made whole, both physically and spiritually.

What made the woman go to Jesus?  Faith that He could do for her what He had done for so many.  Her hope was not the kind that says, “Maybe it will happen; I hope so.”  Her faith said, “I know He can heal me.”  Jesus meets us however we come to Him, with whatever problem.  Our hope is in Him; not because we wonder if He will help us, but because we KNOW He will help us.  Jesus always responds to those who hope in Him, no matter how great or how small they are.  He will always do more than we can imagine.

Lynn has posted about a woman who has recently passed away in TN.  It’s well worth the read.  Here’s the link: http://graceindelible.blogspot.com/2008/05/dianne-odell-remarkable-life.html