Let Her Have Her Way

James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

There is no doubt that we live in a world of instant gratification. If we are hungry, we throw a meal into a machine that will nuke it up for us in a few minutes. If we want something, even if we cannot afford it, we can go online, and with a few clicks of a mouse we can buy it and have it delivered overnight. There was a time when we worked for years to save enough money to buy a nice car or buy a nice home, which we lived in, raised a family in, and even passed it along within the family. Today, we can buy that new car and new house, long before most of us really should; and within a few years, sometimes even less, we are convinced by the advertisements we are bombarded with that we need to upgrade to the latest and greatest. Quite often this leads to our financial ruin, and potentially makes us useless for God's use in His desire to use us to serve and bless others. It is no wonder we get so stressed out when God is trying to teach us to be patient. Unlike the short period of time that it takes to prepare a radioactive meal or buy things we do not need, maturing in our ability to be patient takes time. It is often for that reason that trials oftentimes appear to just linger for so long. Our trials are a means by which God builds patience, but the Word of God tells us that we must let patience have, or possess, the perfect work she is trying to accomplish in us, and that means "time". Far too often we get impatient and interrupt what patience is trying to accomplish, when we choose to take matters into our own hands, rather than trust God's perfect plan. Patience does her best work when we allow God to be God in our lives, and we choose to trust why He is allowing certain trials to test us. When we choose joy, and have faith in God's will and plan, patience then works in us to help us mature in our walk with Jesus. It is in that maturity that we then begin to respond to others, the world, and the circumstances God allows, in a way that truly represents who Jesus is in our lives. It is then that we give room for the light of Christ to shine in us and through us, and we become the salt God calls us to be, in Christ Jesus. So, the best strategy we can have in our walk today, in respect to patience, is to just let her have her way.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).