Tag Archive | faith

Be Patient, God’s Not Finished With Me Yet

Feb28

It’s ironic to think that only when we die are we done. None of us reach perfection while we’re here on earth. The best we can hope for is strong character and what Peter talked about in his second letter: “For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (2 Peter 1:5-9, New International Version).

I know I expect more out of my kids. They say to me, “You probably argued with your brother and sisters when you were a kid.” “You probably didn’t clean your room when you were a kid.”Image

Frankly, I have very little memory of my early interaction with my siblings, but I can’t really picture a dirty room in my head. I don’t remember being at odds with my brother and sisters much of the time. But even if I did experience those things, I didn’t have the power of the Holy Spirit helping me. My kids do.

How often do I tell them, “Treat others the way you want to be treated”? How frequently do I remind them, “They will know we are Christians by our love, one for another”? How many times do I say, “Do not repay evil for evil, but repay evil with good”? In one ear, out the other. That’s what it feels like.

So, I pray maturity comes before permanent damage is done. And I try to remember the grace God gives me on a daily basis as He refrains from reminding me to be patient, to not judge others, do be generous and open-hearted.

I’m not in such great shape myself. And so we can all benefit by wearing a button that says, “Be patient; God isn’t finished with me yet.”

Thankful today for:

63, the life of Martin Luther

64. my back porch

65. pink roses

If You Can

Feb5

Jesus said, “‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'” (Mark 9:23, 24 NIV84).

I’ve heard it said that having faith is like sitting in a chair: you believe it can hold you, but you can’t really know until you give it a try. After that first time of trying and seeing, the sitting becomes a lot easier.

We read in the Bible time after time after time about God doing amazing and miraculous things, but we still don’t completely trust Him with everything today. We get stumped by the verse that says if we pray in God’s will. What, we wonder, is His will? How do I know if He wants to heal that person, or for me to have that job, or that car, or that child? All things are possible, but not all things are profitable.

It’s one of those mysteries. So still we trust and we ask. God will do the best thing.

Today is Superbowl Sunday. I’ll be praying, like thousands of others, that God would deliver those who are caught up in the horrible atrocity of sex trafficking. Both the victims and the victimizers. God can do it.