Patience is easy, until it is tested

There were some great lines in the movie Bruce Almighty and a great piece about prayer. It went something along the lines of, “When you pray for patience, does God give you patience or an opportunity to be patient?” This wasn’t the exact quote but this was the point of it. Prayer can just be words but sometimes it requires action. Paul spends the last chunk of scripture in 1 Thessalonians talking about how the church should be living with each other.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15…

“And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”

While this does focus for the church itself, it is practical for anyone in or outside the church. Now inside the church, I have been apart of some churches that do a great job with this and I have been apart of some church that have not. I love going to Maryland Community Church and feel like this is one of the best churches I have been apart of when it comes to living in community with one another. It’s something all Christians are called to do and not just as leaders. As attenders of a church ask yourself…

·      Are you warning those not accomplishing what they are supposed to do?

·      Who have you encouraged lately? When?

·      Who have you helped? When?

·      How and when have you shown patience in the church or with church attenders?

·      How have you kept peace in the church?

I mentioned “when” because we might have done this once, but it could have happened a while ago. If we are living in the church this needs to be a frequent occasion. Paul really hits the church hard with this because as believers in Jesus, we are called to live for him in our life. If you are outside the church, this is what the church is supposed to be about. If you have had a bad experience with a church, I am sorry, please give church a try again. Churches are full of sinners and are far from perfect. I hope you can find a church that is a good fit for you.

We are called to care for one another, how can you do that today?

Have a great day.

Strong but not because of steroids

What makes you strong? You could say lifting weights, exercise or another form of working out can make you strong. That covers the physical aspect but what makes you mentally strong? There are a ton of talented people out there who are gifted in so many ways that aren’t mentally strong.

Sports have an interesting role in this. There are sports that are individually based that require so much mental strength, running, swimming and golf come to mind. When you have to perform your best and it’s all on you.  Earlier last summer I was playing in a disc golf tournament, I had a chance to win my division with several holes left. I tried to dial into another level and tried really hard, the result was the opposite. I fell apart and finished third or fourth.  Being mentally tough matters and sometimes we just don’t have it. What does it take to make you mentally tough?

Paul has an interesting take on strength that I think can play into being tough mentally. Romans 1:11-12…

“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.”

Encouragement by each other’s faith can make you strong. You can be lifted up by other people and what they are doing with their lives. There are people I look up to and really have a lot of respect for.  Some of these people I long to be like. ne of the people I have always looked up to is a professor at Great Lakes Christian College Alvin Kuest. He is one of the most graceful people I have met and shares a genuine love for everyone.  I hope you have people you look up at and if you don’t to find someone.

Not only are you encouraged by them, they can be lifted up by you. Just because you look up to someone doesn’t mean you are garbage compared to them.  This scripture talks about by each other’s faith.  You don’t just look at their faith, but they can look at yours too and there can be a mutual form or respect.  Do you have mutual respect for someone else? If not what can you do to make this happen.

Being mentally tough is a challenge.  Yet when you have others helping you out, challenging you and you challenging back its iron sharpening iron.  Making each other better can be a great benefit. Are you living a life others want to be like? Do you have someone you look up to or have a mutual respect for? If you answer no, start changing what you are doing in your life and what can you do to make it better.

Have a great day.

Grace from the wife is always nice

It was her birthday and she let me and our friend Jason hang out and watch seven hours of the Masters.

It was an epic competition with a great ending.

So nice of my wife to allow that to happen.

It was really amazing the fact that you watch everything instantly.

The pros and the cons.

You know the good and bad .

You witness the action and the results.

Phil Mickelson had an awful hole and ended up with a 6 on a par 3 that killed his chances.

He still fought back but it wasn’t enough.

Words are nothing without action.

There was a eunuch who heard one of the disciples talking about this scripture…

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter

and like a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life is taken away from the earth.”  (Isaiah 53:7-8)

The scripture was talking about Jesus and explaining who he was and what he was doing.

He mentioned how Jesus died for our sins and how he is the Savior.

After hearing this phrase, the eunuch story went like this in Acts 8:36-38…

“And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.”

Words can be nothing without action.

Phillip told him about Jesus and the man responded.

What do you need to stop talking about and start doing.

We (including myself) can live with the idea of talking about doing something rather than actually going through with it.

Take action in life.

If you never made a decision to follow Christ, today is a great day.

If you want to lose weight or eat healthier, start doing it.

The eunuch realized the message was nothing without action.

Quit talking about stuff and  start doing something about it.

Have a great day.