The Absolute Necessity for PATIENCE in this Crazy World!

01 Nov 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ecclesiastes 7:9.       Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

So it’s Friday and all the Halloween nonsense is over now, except for the children fighting their parents to get the candy they collected last night, so that they can eat them in almost one go. But that’s the nature of children, and sadly, also the nature of many adults in our current society which emphasizes speed and the give it to me now, if not yesterday, childlike attitude. We can’t seem to wait for anything, that’s why we have things like road rage on crowed highways, and blow ups in the grocery lines when a cashier seems to be too slow for our liking. Also when our computers take too long to boot up or find some site we desire, we rage at the poor machine. (smile) 

And though we know the motto; ‘SPEED KILLS,’ we continue to emphasize speed in too many areas of our lives. Take for instance the Ontario Provincial Government’s recent proposal to increase the speed limit on most of the big highways from one hundred to one hundred and ten kilometers per hour. In the first place the highways are usually so filed with traffic that you can seldom get up to the speed limit for any reasonable length of time. And secondly, too many drivers are already doing one twenty to one forty, with the hundred limit, so what do you think they’ll do with the one ten limit eh? Obviously up their speed! 

But thank the Lord, I’m not on the highway everyday like some unfortunate people nuh. It’s bad enough when I do have to get on it. And with the crazy driving that’s taking place out there, it’s a wonder that we don’t have more accidents than the large number we already have. So what’s the problem then, you ask? I guess it’s basically a problem of patience, versus impatience. Our society has become a rather impatient one, but if we continue along that path, we will just destroy ourselves sooner rather than later. Our resolve then should be to learn or acquire patience, which as we all know is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. 

Bruh Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians: ‘But the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness (kindness), goodness, faithfulness, Meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.’ (Gal. 5:22-23) Yes friends, if those fruits flourish in us, then we’d be as holy and godly as we can ever be. (smile) But unfortunately they don’t just flourish when the Holy Spirit plants their seeds in our spirits, when we become believers. No. Like all the other seeds that sprout to healthy plants, we then have to nurture them; that’s water and feed and remove the weeds from around them, so that they can grow and flourish and show the world that Christ richly dwells in us. 

And sadly, possibly the most difficult fruit of the Spirit to acquire is the one Bruh Paul terms longsuffering, or patience, or perseverance, for that cannot be acquired without undergoing problems which then causes it to grow. And what’s patience? This definition from Wikipedia shows how difficult it is to acquire. ‘Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding with disrespect or anger, forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties; or being able to wait for a long time without getting irritated or bored. Patience is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Antonyms or opposites include impatience, hastiness, and impetuousness.’ 

And, as we said earlier, for the Christian, patience is a most important trait for us to develop as we walk with God, for He doesn’t do anything according to our timetable, but according to His. And the Bible, the Lord’s Word, talks very often about the need for patience. So let’s look at a few of those scriptures on patience nuh. And nowhere is it more popular than in Proverbs, or wise words of Cousin Sol. 

Listen up: ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov. 14:29) Or, as another translation puts it: “The patient man shows much good sense, but the quick-tempered man displays folly at its height” Then in the next chapter he writes: ‘A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife (contention).’ (Prov. 15:18) Or, “An ill-tempered man stirs up strife, but a patient man allays discord.” 

And in chapter 16, Cousin Sol states: ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’ (Prov. 16:32) Or, “A patient man is better than a warrior, and he who rules his temper, than he who takes a city.” And then in Ecclesiastes, as the Preacher, Cousin Sol advises: ‘Better is the end of a thing than the beginning  thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.’ (Eccl. 7:8-9) Or, “Better is the patient spirit than the lofty spirit. Do not in spirit become quickly discontented, for discontent lodges in the bosom of a fool.” 

It could not be said any better my people. However, Bruh Paul adds his advice on patience thus in his first letter to the Thessalonians. ‘Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly (insubordinate), comfort the feebleminded (faint-hearted), support the weak, be patient toward all men. See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.’ (1Thess. 5:14-15) 

And we’ll close with this exhortation from James. ‘Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman (farmer) waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish (establish) your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh (near).’ (James 5:7-8) Yes my fellow saints, patience is a most important trait in all aspects of our lives, but it is difficult to obtain, and without the Lord’s help, possibly impossible. So let’s go to the throne of grace right now nuh, through our Friday Chant asking for divine help to handle all the negative stuff that’s coming against us. 

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And I’ll just remind us that we won’t receive any divine help until we become better examples of Christian living! So let’s get on with it nuh! Much LOVE!

…the person who exhibits patience in his or her life…especially in this impatient society…is indeed a mighty being…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 October 2019 Proverbs 16:32.

18 Oct 2019 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Proverbs 16:32.   ​He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

 

Yeah, it’s Friday! And though the sun is struggling to get out from under the cloud cover, there is joy in the land, simply because it’s Friday and the workweek is ending! Thus, there are many ‘Praise the Lord’s!’ both sincere and insincere, (smile) ringing out from all parts of the world. And there’s none louder than that of the ordinary workingman, who never shies away from expressing his true feelings. 

And today, he shouts: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! What a week it’s been! I ate and drank and partied so much this past Thanksgiving weekend, that I was truly sick come Tuesday and couldn’t go to the slave master’s work. Obviously he tried to give me a hard time when I showed up on Wednesday, but I just ignored him, because I have my sick time rights and this one was certainly legitimate. He feels that nobody should ever book off sick, because he loses money when they do. 

But when he books off sick is okay though, because he’s the boss… Chuh! Just forget the li’l greedy man yes! And yuh better believe this weekend is going to be strictly rest! I like mih food and drinks, but not to the extent that I want them to get me sick. I surely hope I learn mih lesson this time yes. Thank God for Fridays and weekends oui!’ 

Ah friends, yuh see what happen when we overdo it? Unwanted consequences usually come back to haunt us. As Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) likes to say: ‘You reap what you sow; more than you sow, and later than you sow.’ And that’s the gospel truth! It holds in all situations in life! So let’s turn now to our Friday Chant nuh, which isn’t as verbose and in your face as the workingman’s song, but does do the trick for us believers. 

All together in true sincerity now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen!’ 

Yes, we do need to be careful how we operate, because the enemy, like the roaring, toothless lion that he is, is always lurking around seeking ways to get into our lives and create havoc. And I have a very good testimony on that point to share. This morning as I was getting ready to write the Bit, my trusty desktop computer began playing the fool. It just would not access the Internet after booting up. 

And as the Lord would have it, I opened the Good Book and began flipping pages and just happened to stop in Proverbs 16…no I don’t think that just happened nuh, because the Word that I read plainly said: ‘He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.’  

That was certainly more than mere coincidence, because every time I turned my computer off and on, and got no progress, I could feel the anger rising up in me and I wanted to give it a few good thumps. But with that scripture staring me straight in the face, and knowing that the Lord, or the enemy was testing my resolve, I managed to not thump it, and it did behave properly after the fifth or sixth time of turning it on and off. 

I believe the Lord saved me though, because I’m pretty sure that I would have thumped it if I had had to go through the annoying rigmarole one more time. (smile) So I passed the test…but just barely. And that’s the way this earthly life is my faithful brethren. Life just likes to test us, to muddy our waters and see how we react. 

Sometimes it’s the Lord, other times it’s the enemy. But whoever or whatever causes us to find ourselves between a rock and hard place, we need to be able to bring up scripture written indelibly in our souls, bodies and minds, to help us handle them in a godly and sensible manner. And today we just going to check out a few of those scriptures that we need to have as our bedrock, our fortification against unnecessary anger. 

Hear Cousin Sol earlier on: ‘He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit (impulsive) exalteth folly.’ (Prov.14:29) And that’s certainly no lie, as many of us have found out over the years. And just recently we featured these immortal verses from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians. 

‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph.4:31-32) Words of eternal wisdom my brethren! 

Meanwhile James adds his two-cents worth thus: ‘Wherefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) And if you’re a true believer, you ought to know that. But listen to the scholars’ explanation anyway. 

‘1:19. This is a key verse because it expresses three topics that James develops later: hearing, verses 19-27; speaking, 3:1-12; and wrath, 4:1-12.’ ‘1:20. Trials require silence and patience because talk inflames anger, and anger inflames talk. Anger also distracts from listening to God.’ I hope we all hear that friends: anger distracts us from listening to God, and when we don’t listen to God, we go astray and end up suffering severe consequences. 

And here are some final words on the subject from Cousin Sol once again. ‘The discretion of a man deferreth his anger (makes him slow to anger); and it is his glory to pass over (overlook) a transgression.’ (Prov.19:11) Awright mih people, there’s the ammunition to fight the battle against anger, let’s go out and put it to good use now nuh! It’s Jesus’ desire for all His followers. Much LOVE!

…be ye angry…and sin not…let not the sun…go down upon your wrath… (Eph.4:26)