Tag-Archive for » patience «

God’s Pearl in the Making.

06 Jan 2010 by sypace

I’ve been feeling the pull to blog for a while now, but sort of resisted, if you know what I mean. . . Seems like something keeps interfering, i.e. myself.  God is really working on my heart about the new year being a time to renew my commitment to Him, and in my case, that means honoring Him by changing my relationship with my husband and my kids.  In a couple of days I will share the scripture that has been laid on my heart as the means to do that very thing.  In the meantime, I want to share what I read in my devotional book this morning.  It further confirmed what God is asking me to do. LOL!!!

This comes from Five Meaningful Minutes a Day by Charles Swindoll.

“January 6

If it weren’t for irritations, we’d be very patient, wouldn’t we?  But like taxes, they are ever with us.  When it comes to irritations, I’ve found that it helps if I remember that I am not in charge of my day . . . God is.  And while I’m sure He wants me to use my time wisely, He is more concerned with the cultivation of the qualities that make me Christlike within.  One of His preferred methods of training is through the adjustments to irritations.

A perfect illustration?  The oyster and its pearl.”

Hmmm. Not hard for me to see how God is talking to me.  I am the kind of person that likes to be in charge.  I like to have things under control.  It gives me a sense of protection when things are in order exactly how I think they should be.  When things aren’t or people around me cause things to go (in my opinion) awry it causes me no small amount of irritation.  My husband would also confess to the fact that I am not a very patient person.  I am seeing a very clear theme to the message God is sending me repeatedly over the last few months.  He is so clearly speaking to me that I don’t really dare to ignore it anymore.  It’s time to let God make my life a pearl.  Will you join me?


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I Want to be Cracked Up.

10 Feb 2009 by sypace

Have you ever been in that place where just getting through each day was the goal; anything more just can’t be managed?  You feel like life is just one big treadmill that is set on the hill-climb mode mode and you just don’t make any progress.  That’s where I have been for months.  I haven’t felt like blogging.  I haven’t wanted to read my Bible.  I haven’t wanted to teach Bible Fellowship.  I haven’t really wanted to leave my house.  Thankfully God understands. (And if there really is anyone reading my blog they will too…)  The last few weeks I have seen some sunshine and felt it’s warmth on my heart as I have felt God’s presence.  There are two things I want to share today that have hit me hard.  I am currently attempting to do Beth Moore’s “Breaking Free” study and on page 14 she quotes Oswald Chambers and I want to share that with you here:

Our soul’s history with God is frequently the history of the “passing of the hero.”  Over and over again God has to remove our friends in order to bring Himself in their place, and that is whre we faint and fail and get discouraged.  Take it personally.  In the year that the one who stood to me for all that God was died–I gave up everything?  I became ill?  I got disheartened? OR — I saw the Lord?  

It must be God first, God second, and God third, until the life is faced steadily with God and no one else is of any accoung whatever.  ”In all the world there is none but thee, my God, there is none but thee.”

Keep paying the price.  Let God see that you are willing to live up to the vision.

Wow!  I think about how in my unrest and dissatisfaction I have turned to friends for consolation.  I have called, text-ed, emailed, visited, done anything but be quiet and put Him first, second, third or even 99th.  I have just slogged on in my unfaithfulness and my unbelief.  But God is so good and so patient.

The second thing that I want to share is the scripture that has helped me see the truth of God.  In my Beth Moore study-time this morning I found scripture that put this all in perspective for me.  First is 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  How often do I wait patiently for the Lord to fix things?  How often do I want it now.  ALWAYS.  But God knows so much more than I could even imagine and sometimes he is just waiting for me to turn to Him.  The last few weeks as I have been homeschooling Mia we have really focused on reading the Bible and memorizing scripture and it hit me this morning as I was having my quiet time that it doesn’t do any good to memorize scripture if we don’t apply it.  We have memorized Psalm 40:1 I was patient while I waited for the Lord, He turned to me and heard my cry for help.  God hears our cries for help, but are we patiently waiting for Him to help.  The last scripture that I want to post today is 2 Corinthians 4:7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  While we are here on this earth we have all kinds of limitations on our bodies, minds, souls, etc.  All of these limitations allow us to shine with the power of God within us, but for that light to shine through there have to be cracks in the vessels.  The more cracks in the vessel, the more the light shines forth.

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