FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023, LOVE WINS - WITH PATIENCE

 FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2023 - LOVE WINS

I’m blatantly ‘borrowing’ material from my You Version Bible Plans today.  

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(quote)

Love is demonstrated through your patience and kindness.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4, Paul says -

“Love suffers long and is kind…”

In his writings about the love of God, Paul points to love as being the more excellent way, and he says that it is something that we must pursue and follow through and go after. 

He describes to us how this love would express itself. How can we know that we are walking in love, that we are motivated by the love of God? First of all, love is patient and love is kind. Love is thoughtful and does deeds of kindness for people.

Love is patient. This means you are willing to give others a long leash. It means you are being tolerant; you are being gentle; you are willing to accommodate others and extend grace to them. Patience and kindness go hand in hand, because being patient with people means that we do not retaliate but we do things that would bless them, things that would encourage and lift them up. We would speak words that would comfort and inspire them. In this way, we show kindness through our words and actions. 

So, love is patient and love is kind. The expression of spiritual gifts, the doing of charitable deeds must all be prompted and accompanied by love which is patient and kind. When we are ministering spiritual gifts, the goal is not just to express or manifest that gift, but the goal is to love the person first and then release that gift served with love, with kindness and with patience. The same thing applies when we are doing good deeds, when we are giving to the poor, or helping meet someone’s physical needs. The goal is not just to do good deeds but to wrap those acts of charity and generosity with love, patience and kindness. 

So, whatever we do, it must be motivated by love. Love is being patient; love is being kind to those around us. We need to ask ourselves whether we are showing patience in the way we relate to people or in whatever we are doing. Are we showing kindness? Are we understanding their needs, their situations and struggles? Because love is patient, love is kind.

How would we like somebody to deal with us? What is the extent of patience and kindness we would like somebody to show to us? We need to extend that to those around us. 

Walk the more excellent way of love by walking in patience and kindness.

(End quote)

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PATIENCE?

We (humans)are rarely patient people.  We yell “I want patience, and I want it NOW”!!!  

Delayed gratification is not part of our lives (generally).  We understand that college generally takes four years - so I have to wait four years until I get my job.  (Then for some of us, we got graduate degrees and had to wait longer).  

It takes about nine months for a child to go from conception to birth.  That’s way too long!! I’ll just adopt!!

We waited until we were 16 to get our driver’s license.  We waited until we got married.

As children it was hard to wait for Christmas.  It was hard to wait for our birthday - and then - whoosh - it flew by so quickly we didn’t have time to enjoy it.  We waited until summer vacation - and then we sometimes by the first of August were waiting for school to start again.  

So, I can be patient (and kind).  I might have to wait years!!!  Some prisoners have been convicted of crimes they didn’t commit and have to wait for years to get paroled or our sentences overturned.  

(Okay, personal note).  I’ve been waiting five years to see my grandchildren again.  I love them so much - and at times I get impatient.  

I’ve prayed - so God, c’mon - let’s work this situation out - NOW!!!  

But I’m learning patience, I’m learning humility, I’m learning that LOVE does win!!!  Biblically, many of the Israelites waited to see the Promised Land and yet, never saw it.  Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  I’m hoping for reconciliation NOW, I’m believing in reconciliation NOW.  But it (reconciliation) will come.

2 Peter 3:8 says, 'With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day'.  God doesn’t wear a watch.  God does things on His perfect timing.  Who am I to suggest that my time schedule is better than His? 

Isaiah 55 says, “"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

So, the God of over a trillion galaxies, over many trillion stars, and many trillion planets does things His ways.  Yup - He is in charge and I’m not!!!  

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Can you imagine if I was in charge?  I think it would be chaos.  Jesus said, 

Likewise, Jesus in the Garden prayed, “Yet not as I will, but as you will…. may your will be done.” 

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End result - whether I learn patience, or I don’t learn patience, the result is the same.  “In God’s Time”.

So, guess what Karen, check your thinking - and become patient!!!

LOVE WINS

PATIENCE WINS

LOVE AND PATIENCE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, JANUARY 27, 2023