Patience is About Trust

”The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
1 Timothy 1:15-17

Go to a room where there is a couch and go sit in it. That was pretty simple right? But why was it simple? Well, unless your couch looked like it was about to fall apart, it didn’t take much thought for you to trust that the couch was going to fulfill its purpose of holding you up, because you have been sitting on couches your whole life and trust their purpose. 

Now re-read the above scripture for the day. After reading the scripture, can you say you trust what it is saying? Many people find it difficult to trust God because they feel like God is often distant and not communicating with them. One of my favorite quotes that I hear often says ”if you want to hear God speak, read the Bible. If you want to hear God speak out loud, read the Bible out loud.” This simple statement is revealing that it is not God’s lack of speaking to you that is causing you to lose trust, because he has given us a lot of words in the Bible. 

If you have been following the Lord for a short time, it might take more trust and working through questions and reading scripture more to believe in what it is saying. Then there are those of you who have been following the Lord for a while and for you let’s go back to the couch scenario. When it comes to trusting God can you easily sit down on the couch? Have you been growing in trust over the years through being patient and attentive to His word and the work of the Holy Spirit in you? Whether you are a new Christian, or have been a Christian for years, our function as believers remains the same. Just as a couch was made to hold us up, we were made to display God’s perfect patience and be an example to others through our lives. Do others know when they see you that you are a reflection of Christ or are they left wondering? Are they aware of your purpose on this earth, or are you too abstract, too broken down, or too uncomfortable to function properly?

Questions to Ponder: 

1. When was the last time you prayed about growing in trust?

2. Do you feel like God is distant? Why? 

    

Today’s Reading:

1 Timothy 1