Let’s review what the fruit of the Holy Spirit called patience produces in our lives.
1. It moves us toward Jesus (John 11:20-22).
2. It creates honesty about our motives (John 11:21).
3. It teaches us to develop healthy boundaries (John 11:22).
4. It teaches us to recognize the affection and good wishes of others (John 11:23-24).
5. It causes us to properly reevaluate what we believe about Jesus, life, and death (John 11:24-26).
6. It causes us to reaffirm our faith in Christ (John 11:27)
7. It causes us to reaffirm our worth in Christ
8. It causes us to serve with a new spirit (John11:28)
Sunday, July 12, 2009
PATIENCE 4
Pride looks to what we have accomplished to establish our sense of worth. Patience looks to what we have received from Christ to know that we have worth. When Martha received Jesus into her home, she attempted to establish her worth in Jesus’ eyes through all her preparations. Thus Mary’s failure to help her and Jesus’ apparent lack of concern for Mary’s laziness was seen by Martha as undermining her worth as a person. Martha learned from that encounter. This time she was not focused on any preparations. She was free to focus on Jesus and what he desired to bring to her life at that moment. What she got was the love of Christ and a reaffirming of her faith in Christ. What a different Martha we see.
Grace is favor given even when there is no merit to earn that favor. Grace looks solely to the merits of Jesus earned for us at the cross. Grace gives us worth apart from what we have done or will ever do. Patience is simply living out this gift. Patience allows this gift to unfold in our lives under its own terms. Patience is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives because it does not come to us naturally. That is why Paul calls it a fruit of the Spirit. When the Spirit is allowed to produce this fruit in our lives, others see our tremendous worth. That takes us to our last point.
When Jesus visited Martha’s home, she capped the evening with some very harsh words about her sister. Her goal for the evening had been to serve. Pride turned the evening into a frustrating disaster for her. It is a much different Martha who leaves Jesus this time and goes back to her sister. She calls her sister aside from all the other mourners and tells her of Jesus’ arrival. She refers to Jesus as “The Teacher.” When Jesus visited her home, he had come as teacher. This was quite and honor since his students were women. Teachers in Jesus’ day did not teach women. This time Martha had learned from the Teacher and was eager for her sister to receive as well.
When patience is at work, the stress level drops because the concern is no longer on what I want to do. Instead the concern is what does Jesus want me to receive and how does he want me to share it with others. Jesus taught this kind of patience by the example of his own ministry. He came not to be served but to serve (Matt 20:28). His life was focused on what his Father had given him and lived according to how that best could be shared with the world. For Jesus, that meant the cross. While he was on earth, he never used his power as the Son of God for himself. He used it in service to God and to us.
Through the working of the Holy Spirit, Jesus promises to work that kind of patience in each one of us. As we practice this fruit in our lives, we come to appreciate more deeply the love and the power of God.
Grace is favor given even when there is no merit to earn that favor. Grace looks solely to the merits of Jesus earned for us at the cross. Grace gives us worth apart from what we have done or will ever do. Patience is simply living out this gift. Patience allows this gift to unfold in our lives under its own terms. Patience is impossible without the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives because it does not come to us naturally. That is why Paul calls it a fruit of the Spirit. When the Spirit is allowed to produce this fruit in our lives, others see our tremendous worth. That takes us to our last point.
When Jesus visited Martha’s home, she capped the evening with some very harsh words about her sister. Her goal for the evening had been to serve. Pride turned the evening into a frustrating disaster for her. It is a much different Martha who leaves Jesus this time and goes back to her sister. She calls her sister aside from all the other mourners and tells her of Jesus’ arrival. She refers to Jesus as “The Teacher.” When Jesus visited her home, he had come as teacher. This was quite and honor since his students were women. Teachers in Jesus’ day did not teach women. This time Martha had learned from the Teacher and was eager for her sister to receive as well.
When patience is at work, the stress level drops because the concern is no longer on what I want to do. Instead the concern is what does Jesus want me to receive and how does he want me to share it with others. Jesus taught this kind of patience by the example of his own ministry. He came not to be served but to serve (Matt 20:28). His life was focused on what his Father had given him and lived according to how that best could be shared with the world. For Jesus, that meant the cross. While he was on earth, he never used his power as the Son of God for himself. He used it in service to God and to us.
Through the working of the Holy Spirit, Jesus promises to work that kind of patience in each one of us. As we practice this fruit in our lives, we come to appreciate more deeply the love and the power of God.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
PATIENCE 3
Pride builds a fortress of sticks. A strong wind or a careless fire and its gone. As a result pride is always fearful of the unforeseen and must always control those around it lest they carelessly destroy what it has built. Pride wishes to present a good face to the world through its acts of charity but lives with the knowledge of just how hollow that face is. Pride believes only in itself thus has worry as its high priest. Such is the insecurity of pride.
Patience invites us to shift focus from pride to the one who gives genuine security. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed his power over life and death. “I am the resurrection and the life…whoever lives and believes in me will never die,” says Jesus. How do you find greater security than that? Patience can afford to be patient because it knows who has the final say about life and death. Patience knows it can risk love because it is ultimately and always loved by Jesus. Patience invites us to not only confess our sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing but it urges us to stop for a moment and reflect on the great mystery of this high love Jesus has for us. This reflection gives perspective on life.
Reevaluation leads to reaffirmation. What a beautiful testimony Martha gave to who Jesus was. Her testimony showed tremendous insight into Jesus and his mission in this world. She saw him as the “Christ,” the Anointed or Chosen one, whom God had sent to save her people.[1] Martha also recognized that in Jesus she was seeing no ordinary man. He was also the “Son of God.” In Jesus God had taken human flesh to fulfill God’s plan to save the world. This Jesus would rescue her brother from death. She was safe putting Lazarus in his hands.
Patience enables us to reaffirm our faith in Jesus as the Christ. As Martha’s loss found resurrection in Jesus, so too our losses find new life. Christ gives us the power to turn our deepest needs over to him. We need not attempt to control or manipulate but simply receive what Christ will give confident of his power and goodness.
[1] The title “Christ” means “Anointed One”. Priests and kings were installed into office by having scented oil poured over their heads. The title “Anointed One” came to summarize for Israel her hopes that God would send one who would ultimately rescue Israel.
Patience invites us to shift focus from pride to the one who gives genuine security. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus showed his power over life and death. “I am the resurrection and the life…whoever lives and believes in me will never die,” says Jesus. How do you find greater security than that? Patience can afford to be patient because it knows who has the final say about life and death. Patience knows it can risk love because it is ultimately and always loved by Jesus. Patience invites us to not only confess our sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing but it urges us to stop for a moment and reflect on the great mystery of this high love Jesus has for us. This reflection gives perspective on life.
Reevaluation leads to reaffirmation. What a beautiful testimony Martha gave to who Jesus was. Her testimony showed tremendous insight into Jesus and his mission in this world. She saw him as the “Christ,” the Anointed or Chosen one, whom God had sent to save her people.[1] Martha also recognized that in Jesus she was seeing no ordinary man. He was also the “Son of God.” In Jesus God had taken human flesh to fulfill God’s plan to save the world. This Jesus would rescue her brother from death. She was safe putting Lazarus in his hands.
Patience enables us to reaffirm our faith in Jesus as the Christ. As Martha’s loss found resurrection in Jesus, so too our losses find new life. Christ gives us the power to turn our deepest needs over to him. We need not attempt to control or manipulate but simply receive what Christ will give confident of his power and goodness.
[1] The title “Christ” means “Anointed One”. Priests and kings were installed into office by having scented oil poured over their heads. The title “Anointed One” came to summarize for Israel her hopes that God would send one who would ultimately rescue Israel.
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