Learning Shouldn't Be Shunned

Learning Shouldn't Be Shunned
by David Brenneman

I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am hopeful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it is painful, but patiently I will wait
And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait
I'm waiting, I'm waiting on You Lord
And I am peaceful, I'm waiting on You Lord
Though it's not easy no, but faithfully I will wait
Yes, I will wait
And I will move ahead bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race even while I wait
I will move ahead bold and confident
I'll be taking every step in obedience, yeah
While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
And I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You Lord
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
-(c)2007 John Waller "While I'm Waiting".

Several devotional readings last night were about waiting on God, waiting on the Lord.  This song easily came to mind after reading just that word.

We don't like to wait.  Several generations now are of a kind that patience appears to be more of a superpower than a choice to make easily. 

We don't wait on food sometimes from a microwave and either discover it to either not be done or over cooked.  We see people who can't simply drive a vehicle without staying on a cell phone for fear of missing out on a conversation that in all likelihood could wait.  We see people dying or gravely wounded from vehicle accidents because of impatience due to other road hazards.  We see videos of impatience born out in children destroying things because their parents failed to enforce learning patience.  We have no shortage of examples of a lack of patience.

Yet the Bible teaches quite the opposite.  Bringing up a child in the way they should go and they will not depart from it.  There's much said about patience in the Lord.  A fruit of the Spirit is patience.  We do not see that getting ahead of God as impatience at the time things didn't go well for us because we didn't exercise patience in the moment.

Read again Psalm 23...slowly.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows.  Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalms 23:1-6.

There's actions and activities that the Lord Jesus Christ brings us to and puts us through that are going to bring about learning about how to be patient of how to exercise patience.  It's a fruit of the Spirit so should be a fruit of our life in Christ.

"so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;  strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." Colossians 1:10-12.

And do not forget these evidences:  "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,  and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:5-8.

Our aim in this life as Believers isn't personal growth, isn't personal wealth, it's not in a life pursuing fantastic health 24/7.  It's not exemplified in anything but testifying of the work of God in Christ Jesus in us and living as lights in this present darkness.  It's growing in Christ Jesus to be more like Christ.  Personal goals are fine as long as they do not conflict with what God's Word says and His revealed will for us in Christ.  We are HIS workmanship.  Not His AND our own.  Not His AND a career that's not what He wanted for us to be doing. 

We learn Godly patience from being fully obedient.  We learn this and all the other fruits of the Spirit through our obedience regardless of how we feel in the moment.

We lie to ourselves when we deny what the Spirit says we're being like. 

Paul wraps all this up in this: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.  Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Galatians 5:16-25.

Fighting the work of God in your life will cause you to be impatient and thus not to show the fruit of the Spirit in you.  "He makes me lie down..."  Look at any parent who is making a child rest or take a nap and you'll see the difficulty that the Spirit most likely has with human beings claiming to be Christians to stop n rest...to lie down...when He is saying it's appropriate to do so.

We also disrespect the Lord when we are fighting what He's doing in our lives.  Disrespect leads to impatience as well.  Because our ways are not His ways.  When we insist on our ways impatience shows up.

We must choose to be patient as He does what we pray for.  We must accept what He's doing at the rate it's being done for His reasons, even if we don't understand or feel like it.

Our plan and purpose for each of us is wrapped up in 2 things and 2 things only.  To grow in Christ, becoming more like Jesus, and to do our part in the body as the Spirit sees fit for us to be doing.  It's not going to look like what we think it should because we're in the midst of learning to obey. 

"Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”" Acts 9:10.

This is the only response we should have in life.  Even when understanding eludes us. 

This verse isn't long or complex but does speak volumes about this particular disciple's life in Christ. 

Would we respond the same or find some excuse for not because our eyes were not on obedience?

Someone once said to never pray for patience because God would put you in a place to learn it.  Well my Dear Reader...wrong instructions but right results.  

We want the fruit of the Spirit to be displayed in our lives. 

We want our obedience to show others what a life in Christ looks like. 

We want to live our lives in Christ in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. 

We DO don't we?

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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