The Patience That Can Run

 “Be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.” – James 5:8

Two things are for certain: #1: Patience is a virtue, and #2: You and I don’t have enough of it.

There’s an old Hebrew story that goes like this: One evening the great patriarch Abraham was sitting outside his tent when he saw an old man slowly walking toward him. This traveler was obviously weary from his age and his long journey. Abraham rushed out, greeted him and invited him into his tent. He washed the old man's feet and gave him food and something to drink. The old man immediately began eating without saying any prayer or blessing. So, Abraham asked him, "Don't you worship God?” The old traveler replied, "No. I only worship fire. I don’t pay attention to any other god." 

When he heard this, Abraham was furious. He grabbed the old man by the shoulders and threw him out of his tent into the cold night air. After the man staggered into the darkness, God called to Abraham and asked where the stranger was. The patriarch replied, "I kicked him out because he didn’t worship you." God calmly responded, "Abraham, this man has rejected Me and dishonored Me his entire life. For 80 long years I have patiently put up with him. Couldn’t you endure him for one night?"

Great question! It’s a shame that Father Abraham didn’t have the Book of James, because it could have done him a whole lot of good. In chapter 5, James addresses two different kinds of patience that God is grooming inside every Christian: patience with people (also called “long-suffering) and patience with crummy circumstances (also called “endurance”).

Let’s focus on the first of these critical kinds of patience: patience with people. In verses 7-9, James shines the spotlight on a very patient role model—the farmer. James writes, “See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains” (v. 7). Honestly, some of us would never make it as farmers. A farmer has to wait for the right time to plant. Then he has to wait for the little seedlings to sprout. Then he has to wait for the sprouts to mature. Then he has to wait for the right time to harvest. That’s too much waiting for some of us. Shoot…some of us can hardly stand to wait at a red light for more than 30 seconds!

There’s no denying: Farmers exhibit a lot of patience. But so too do men and women in many other professions. So, why did James choose to single out farmers? Because their patience is active, not idle. Think about it. Farmers don’t sit on their hands while they’re waiting for harvest time. They’re always working: up before the crack of dawn, routinely laboring 10-12 hour days, constantly preparing for the harvest even if it’s months away.

George Matheson, a Scottish pastor who lived in the late 1800s, was blind most of his life, but God taught him patience in the midst of his trials. Matheson wrote: "We commonly associate patience with lying down….Yet there is a patience that I believe to be harder -- the patience that can run. To lie down in the time of grief… implies a great strength; but I know of something that implies a strength greater still: it is the power to work under stress; to have a great weight at your heart and still run; to have a deep anguish in your spirit and still perform the daily tasks.”

What an amazing insight! When your neighbor is trying your patience, what should you do? You shouldn’t just sit in your house and patiently wait for him to put his house up for sale. Instead, you should patiently keep working--doing what God has called you to do: Be kind to him; pray for him, and love your neighbor as yourself. When you’ve asked your boss for a raise, and your boss keeps dragging his feet and not giving it to you, you shouldn’t slack off in retaliation. You should keep doing your best work, because you are really working for the Lord, not for man.

So, Christians, Jesus calls you and me to live out this greater kind of patience. Don’t settle for PASSIVE patience. Like the farmer, practice ACTIVE patience.

And do you want to know something remarkable? The lessons God teaches us while we’re patiently waiting are, oftentimes, more valuable than the blessings we’re waiting for.  While you’re patiently waiting for your neighbor to change, God is changing you. While you’re patiently praying for your spouse to be transformed, God is transforming you. While you’re waiting for your boss to realize your true worth, God is helping your to live out your true worth.

Ultimately, God is more concerned with your CHARACTER than He is with your COMFORT. He is more focused on your growth than He is on your gold medals. He is more focused on your BECOMING than He is on your ARRIVING.

I believe that Jesus Christ wants us to enter Patience Boot Camp this week. Here are two training exercises that we need to participate in. TRAINING EXERCISE #1: Read Hebrews 11-12. Every day we are surrounded by impatient people. But as we read and meditate on Hebrews 11-12, we’ll be influenced and inspired by these good, patient followers of God. TRAINING EXERCISE #2: Instead of grumbling about annoying people, pray and work for their good. Grumbling doesn’t help us or anyone else. Like the farmer, you and I must patiently work for the good of those who get on our last nerve. It won’t be easy, but it will be well worth the effort. After all, Jesus is coming soon, and he WILL reward you for your active patience.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our live outdoor worship service Sundays at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook. And we hope you’ll join us next Sunday, September 27^th, for Back to Church Sunday.

Turning Trials Into Triumphs

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”
- James 1:2

When I was a kid, I loved watching reruns of the hit TV series, “The Six Million Dollar Man.” Do you remember the backstory? After a major accident, the best and brightest minds spent $6,000,000 reconstructing astronaut Steve Austin into the first bionic man. After his state-of-the-art surgery, he could run 60 miles an hour, bend steel with his bare hands and see small objects half a mile away. And the key line in the title sequence goes like this. “Steve Austin will be that man: Better than he was before: better, stronger, faster.”

Had it not been for the trauma of Steve Austin’s accident, he never would have become the world’s first bionic man. And in much the same way, were in not for the trials in life that we face, we would never become more mature in our Christian faith. As much as we hate to admit it, the trials we face have the potential to make us better, stronger and faster.

But honestly, our natural human response to trials is to…FREAK OUT! Whether the trial is a life-threatening illness, a major car accident, the loss of a job, or persecution for our faith, we tend to respond to our trials by temporarily losing our minds. Right?

So, in the Book of James, verse 2 sounds like something straight out of “Fantasy Land”: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” Really? Is James serious? Because joy is NOT a natural response to trials. Most people don’t shout, “Praise the Lord!” when they receive a utility shut-off notice in the dead of winter. And most Christians don’t say, “Thank you Jesus!” when the doctor says, “It’s cancer.” So, as followers of Christ, we must make a conscious decision to do what’s unnatural: to choose joy when trials come. It takes effort. It takes discipline. And it takes faith.

But what’s the point of choosing joy when trials come? James gives the answer in verse 3: “You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James is basically saying, “Christian brothers and sisters, you know that trials teach you patience and increase your endurance to make you stronger. And these are all very good things. You know this—you just don’t like to admit it. You prefer to avoid trials at all costs and cross your fingers, hoping that you’ll get better and stronger without them. Well, it just doesn’t work that way. If you want to mature in your faith—if you want to grow up and become more and more like Jesus--there’s no way around it: You have to experience trials.”

James continues in verse 4: “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, you are a work in progress. God is slowly and methodically transforming your impatience into Jesus’ patience. He is slowly and methodically transforming your tendency to give up into Jesus’ tendency to press on. And He is slowly and methodically transforming your lousy attitude into Jesus’ attitude of counting it all joy.

Warren Wiersbe tells the story of a Christian man who realized that he was far too impatient. So, he prayed, “Lord, help me to grow in patience. I want to have more self-control in this area of my life.” Well, that morning he missed his train to work and spent the next 50 minutes pacing the platform and complaining about his situation. As the next train arrived, the man realized how foolish he had been. He said to himself, “The Lord gave me nearly an hour to grow in my patience, and all I did was practice my impatience.” Let’s be honest: When trials mess up our plans and schedules, how many of us spend far too much time practicing our impatience?

So, what is the purpose of learning patience and perseverance during our trials? The purpose—spelled out in verse 4—is to help us become mature and complete. Never forget that God is more interested in your character than He is in your comfort. God doesn’t want any of us to stay spiritual babies drinking spiritual milk. He wants us to grow up! He wants us to mature in our faith. And trials help us do that unlike anything else can. So, why should we respond to trials with joy? Not because trials are fun. Not because trials give us an excuse to have a pity party and get sympathy. We should rejoice when trials come for one reason according to James: Because they are tools in God’s hands to make us mature and complete—like Jesus.

This growth process brings with it some priceless blessings. It brings more peace to our lives; it positively influences those around us, and it pleases God. If trials pave the way for all these many blessings, you’d better believe we should rejoice. The trials may stink while we’re in them, but remember that God never wastes a trial in a Christian’s life. He will use it for your good, for the good of those around you, and for His glory. He REALLY is making you better, stronger, and faster. So, no matter how much it hurts … Rejoice. No matter how long it lasts … Rejoice. No matter how unfair and pointless it seems … Rejoice.

If you are a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, your trial is in the hands of a loving God. He’s got this! And since He’s got this, you’ve got this too. So, rejoice!

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for our worship service tomorrow at 10 a.m. at the new Dr. Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.