#1 INVESTING IN PATIENCE
By Wade martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Part#1 Investing patience.
TEXT:
Hebrews 10:36 FOR YE HAVE NEED OF PATIENCE, THAT,
AFTER YE HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD,
YE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE.
James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. What a goal, WANTING NOTHING, entire.
Eph. 6:13 ... Having done all, to stand.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive: but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, PATIENT.
Today, I ponder what we think we need?
What do you need?
Where are there SHORTAGES in our life’s?
What are we in want of?
We think we need a new car, a bigger home, a big salary, and a happy family?
We ponder what our family needs?
Need would suggest the lack of something requisite, desirable, or useful.
I ponder what obligation we have to the Heavenly Father, could needs hinge on other things?
Many times our appetite grows gregarious.
We expect more and more.
The more we have the more we demand.
Shortages?
I ponder shortages?
Missions trips have been real eye openers to me.
I find we can find God in poverty areas.
We measure success today on prosperity.
I have prayed often for my two sons.
My prayer goes something like this:
God, bless my sons to know Your Heart. May they never know want in spiritual areas. Teach them, Lord to walk with You.
Most of my life has been lived below the poverty line,
yet I have seen God’s hand on a daily basis.
I ponder what God thinks we need?
Does God ever declare to us we have needs?
Yes, God’s Word declares a need area.
Will we study and ponder what God says we need?
Will we do something, if we are directed to a need area?
The Bibles says in Hebrews 10:36 FOR YE HAVE NEED OF PATIENCE, THAT, AFTER YE HAVE DONE THE WILL OF GOD, YE MIGHT RECEIVE THE PROMISE.
This verse could tell a sad story.
A person could do the absolute will of the Father and be cheated out of the promise.
Today, patience has a dirty name.
People don’t want to develop patience because there is a direct correlation between patience and tribulation.
We pray to be exempt of trouble and trials.
We often pray God change the winds, when we have the ability to reset the sails?
There is an element of truth: that PATIENCE COST!
BUT THE LACK OF PATIENCE COST MUCH MORE THAN WE CAN AFFORD TO PAY!
James addresses this subject of patience:
James 1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But James tells us this trying has a purpose.
We must see the purpose to understand the need.
James 1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing. What a goal, WANTING NOTHING, entire.
As we ponder the need of patience, we must also consider our ministry could hinge on the fact of patience and waiting.
Eph. 6:13 ... Having done all, to stand.
The definition of patient is: bearing pain or trials calmly without complaint.
(Well, I have struck out before the pitch has been thrown.)
Long-spirited, forbearing, long suffering, endure,
cheerful endurance, gentle, slow to anger,
moderate or balanced, be cool.
I like this: steadfast despite opposition and difficulty.
Many of us throw up our hands and want to quit at the suggestion of opposition and difficulty.
God’s warriors raise this hope and faith and know that opposition and difficulty are but obstacles to overcome and allow God to arise and show His Love.
You have heard of the patience of Job? ...
HAVE THOSE AROUND YOU HEARD OF YOUR PATIENCE?
Put your name in the blank and ask your friends closest to you...
HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE PATIENCE OF -----------------?
Come on do it? Why not? Answer me?
God has many tools in His Tool Box.
Two of the most powerful tools are: TIME and PATIENCE.
How poor are they that have no patience?
The lack of patience is a great expression of the lack of faith and trust in a Divine Plan.
Patience is a cure, ... a remedy.
2 Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive: but be gentle to all men, apt to teach, PATIENT.
There are many examples of men and women in the Bible that their impatience cost them dearly.
Sarah laughed and doubted the Promise. Her impatience caused Ishmael to become an enemy to Isaac.
Price tag: This battle still wars today in the Middle east.
In impatience and anger Moses throws down the laws of God. Again, in impatience Moses hits the rock, the Price Tag: Living in the Promise Land.
Naaman’s impatience with the man of God almost cost his healing.
The sons of Thunder, James and John, are impatient with a whole city.
They wanted God to burn Samaria down. On Jesus’ next visit, there is a woman at the well, and revival comes.
We must ponder the Divine Time Table as we consider patience.
Judas terrible end, would be considered impatience.
Martha was impatient with Mary, wow, was she surprised Mary chose the good part?
There were four soil types:
the wayside,
thorny ground,
rocky ... hard,
and good ground.
Good ground and good seed still had a lacking, there was more needed.
Luke 8:15 But that the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
It is one thing to be God called. It is more to love the call of God and be obedient, but in the last days, ministry must be submerged in a call to patience to accomplish God’s heart.
You can never lead a group any faster than they are able to go.
There are the forerunners that grasp the truth and want to run away from the others.
They must learn patience with the weak, slower ones.
There are those that would lag behind, we need patience to encourage and prod them gently along.
Patience must be used to keep the group near in vision.
If patience divides into several groups, we establish CLIQUES, smaller exclusive groups.
This will always impede revival.
Leaders must teach by example.
You cannot ask for patience, if we do not extend patience.
I had rather see a sermon than hear one any day.
Kind words, big smiles, bear hugs... cost little yet they can bear great treasures to the tired, frustrated, discouraged and the weak.
With patience opportunity thrives in adversity.
There is great power in an idea whose time has come.
We must exercise patience with the group and with the individual.
Look at how much patience Jesus used with Peter.
Peter was a loud mouth with his foot in his mouth on a regular basis.
Emotional fits that even rebuked the Son of God.
Jesus saw beyond Peter’s faults.
Jesus saw the potential of what could be.
Jesus quietly kept investing love and time.
One day a change comes, a wise student steps forward to preach a powerful sermon,
"What meaneth this?"
All this was because a good teacher invested patience and love in what appeared to be a wasted cause?
THE TEARS OF BACK DOOR MINISTRY
We look deeper into patience and the Biblical statement of
Hebrews 10:36 For you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God, you might receive the PROMISE.
Patience is a long term investment.
This means we must minister and invest now, and not seek returns on our ministry immediately.
We need to bury our tempers and great expectations,
and allow God to use TIME to bring about our prayers.
Cowboys drive cattle!
Shepherds lead sheep.
Many individuals feel a call ... "to drive and demand."
The real shepherd’s heart realizes Divine Timing and team work. I think cowboys have a more glamorous life style. But patient shepherds wait ... until the still small voice says move.
Many of us stand against abortion, yet we thrive on spiritual abortion.
Maybe, you would accept this better if we called it:
"throwing out the baby with the dirty bath water."
I feel in my heart great revival winds, but this must be accomplished by patient waiting, while we let our expectations and zeal grow.
While many wait, they are prone to sleep and grow idle.
This waiting time must be a TIME OF PREPARATION AND FOCUS!
Many ministers are about to write off some good workers.
Most know, I was a school teacher for 6 years. I love watching children learn.
Some were very quick learners. Some quick learners were also quick forgetters.
My challenge, as a teacher was not the fast students, or the average student.
My challenge was the slower students.
How could I motivate them? How could I keep them motivated?
This required extra effort on my time.
I don’t think there are any dumb people that can’t learn!
Each student thrives on their own level in their own area.
One source I tapped was other students and peer pressure.
When I had a problem child, unmotivated, I often would seek fellow students to help.
( Never directly, just developing a plan.)
Once I had some behavior problems I could not seem to head off at the pass.
I started giving each student two pennies each morning.
At the end of the day if the class at large had enough pennies,
they could buy free time. I would allow for a little misbehavior.
When Joe would act out, I would take his penny.
After he lost his second penny, I would take the penny from person in front of him,
then behind him.
After a while, his peers demanded behavior, and Joe conformed. This was a team effort.
While, I am on Joe ... let me tell you something else I did.
I found Joe a sweet, loving, and helpful boy.
But he thought class clown was his calling.
Some days, I would ask Joe to help me, clean the board, dust some books, and I gave Joe some one on one attention while others were out of the room.
This did more to help Joe than any one thing I did.
As pastor, I have found many difficult members, just needed a little extra attention.
Now, if you give this effort begrudgingly it will backfire. But if you invest patience, and love dividends will always return, this is a promise.
I plan every week to find a little lamb with his head in the thicket, and love him closer to me, but more than that ... closer to the fold and the Father.
Let me also illustrate another point. I have stepped out of great light into a darker place and found myself almost totally blinded to see. I think, I must leave here, it is dark.
Then, I stand still and patient, my eyes refocus.
My pupils open wider, and what first appeared to be so dark, ... I can see.
The darker the night the greater the light.
Shine a pen light in sunshine and you cannot see the brightness.
Shine that same pen light in extreme darkness and the trail will be see.
Combine that pen light with many others and you will make a room brighter.
If we would practice patience and teach others patience, we would soon see great growth and satisfaction.
Did no Jesus practice mercy? Did Jesus demand His followers to show mercy?
Seems, we protest unjust criticism, but we love unearned applause. WHY? ...
Whatever, PATIENCE CAN BE A CURE, A REMEDY for those that labor in the fields white ready for harvest. I fear some of the tears we will face will be, that we should have been more patient with others.
As a teenage boy, I was at a Pastor’s Convention.
(Most know my dad is a Church of God pastor.)
Many of the young pastors were bragging about running this one off...
We call this the back door ministry.
There was a very old pastor, named R.E. Worley there.
Brother Worley lower his head and started crying silently.
In minutes, he was bawling like a baby.
Soon, the young pastors stopped their discussion.
One ask, "Brother Worley, WHY ARE YOU CRYING? "
R.E. replied, " See, I am near eternity. I have pastored many places, and found great success at every pastorate. I have written many songs, all call me a success ... I SEE NOW, SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT WENT OUT THE BACK DOOR AND I CLOSED THE DOOR BEHIND THEM ..., NOW MY MINISTRY HAS SOME TEARS, ...THAT I SHOULD HAVE LOVED, ...WITH PATIENCE, I COULD HAVE DONE MORE. LAUGH ALL YOU WANT TO, AND BRAG ALL YOU WANT TO: BUT THOSE AT THE BACK DOOR HAVE SOULS. SOME WILL NEVER RETURN. FOR THOSE JESUS DIED..."
Sometimes Brother Worley’s words ring in my ears.
In weeks, R.E. Worley was in a State Counsel meeting,
his head lower and he took his last breath, but his message still rings loud and clear.
This message not only rings to pastors and their congregation, but to laity directed toward pastors, FAMILY TO FAMILY.
I know a pastor’s son that will not consider going to church ... a lack of patience, that is a soul.
Tears run down my face, for I see a lack of patience from God’s people toward God’s people. Beloved, let us love one another, let’s us give another chance, invest patience .... Someday you might need a little ......
We can’t us people to build the church, WE MUST USE THE CHURCH TO BUILD PEOPLE.
#1 of 2 parts.
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr.
Kyfingers@aol.com
Help enlarge my hands, pass this to others
