September 18, 2024
Daniel Foster
Next Gen Pastor
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Patience. A fruit of the spirit difficult to embody for the zealous. How do we know we have patience? First, we have to be in a situation that tests our patience. Then we examine how we respond in the midst of a trying situation. My wife and I have the routine of getting up early. Like many of you, I have grown quite fond of (and sometimes dependent) on that cup of hot coffee in the morning! I wake up and I am tired and a bit groggy. So I muster the energy to make it to the coffee pot because I know how it will help me with this awful tired feeling. For the last year, I have walked up to the coffee pot and hit the circle button for the coffee to start brewing. And then waited. And waited. And waited for the coffee to drip into that pot ever so slowly. Can I be perfectly honest with you? I have grown to resent the time between pushing the button l and the time I can take the first sip. It was the lame duck session of my every day. I honestly thought it was ridiculous that in 2024, I didn’t have a coffee pot that knew when I was going to get up and started brewing while my eyes were still shut. I mean, it was a long time ago, but I think even my DAD’S coffee pot did that for him! A few days ago, I was expressing my displeasure to a friend and was confronted with the reality that…I seem to start my day with a lack of patience.
I have been asking the Lord what it means to be “patient in spirit.” Our culture all together has a problem with waiting. We want what we want, when we want it. But Psalm 27:4 challenges us to “Wait patiently on the Lord…” Sometimes the Lord’s timing is not our timing. Possibly, being patient in Spirit means not forcing things to happen instead of letting it play out. Maybe it means giving up some of the control we sometimes desperately want to cling to. In any case, once we realize moments we have been impatient, it helps us for the next time when we take that to the Lord. By the way, I looked it up on the internet. Turns out, you CAN set our coffee pot to start brewing while my eyes are still closed. It only takes me pushing 3 extra buttons. That first moment I walked in the kitchen and saw a full pot of coffee waiting for me…well, let’s just say I was convicted by the revelation that my elation was probably proportionate with my prior impatience. I am thankful God can take our mess and turn it into His message! Maybe He wants to use your impatient moments for His glory too.
Next Gen Pastor
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Patience. A fruit of the spirit difficult to embody for the zealous. How do we know we have patience? First, we have to be in a situation that tests our patience. Then we examine how we respond in the midst of a trying situation. My wife and I have the routine of getting up early. Like many of you, I have grown quite fond of (and sometimes dependent) on that cup of hot coffee in the morning! I wake up and I am tired and a bit groggy. So I muster the energy to make it to the coffee pot because I know how it will help me with this awful tired feeling. For the last year, I have walked up to the coffee pot and hit the circle button for the coffee to start brewing. And then waited. And waited. And waited for the coffee to drip into that pot ever so slowly. Can I be perfectly honest with you? I have grown to resent the time between pushing the button l and the time I can take the first sip. It was the lame duck session of my every day. I honestly thought it was ridiculous that in 2024, I didn’t have a coffee pot that knew when I was going to get up and started brewing while my eyes were still shut. I mean, it was a long time ago, but I think even my DAD’S coffee pot did that for him! A few days ago, I was expressing my displeasure to a friend and was confronted with the reality that…I seem to start my day with a lack of patience.
I have been asking the Lord what it means to be “patient in spirit.” Our culture all together has a problem with waiting. We want what we want, when we want it. But Psalm 27:4 challenges us to “Wait patiently on the Lord…” Sometimes the Lord’s timing is not our timing. Possibly, being patient in Spirit means not forcing things to happen instead of letting it play out. Maybe it means giving up some of the control we sometimes desperately want to cling to. In any case, once we realize moments we have been impatient, it helps us for the next time when we take that to the Lord. By the way, I looked it up on the internet. Turns out, you CAN set our coffee pot to start brewing while my eyes are still closed. It only takes me pushing 3 extra buttons. That first moment I walked in the kitchen and saw a full pot of coffee waiting for me…well, let’s just say I was convicted by the revelation that my elation was probably proportionate with my prior impatience. I am thankful God can take our mess and turn it into His message! Maybe He wants to use your impatient moments for His glory too.
Posted in Daily Devos