(Romans 2:7) “To those who by patience in well-doing seek
for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;”
Patience is a virtue that is naturally
foreign to our characters, but if we want something badly enough we will find
the resolve to stick at it. We must therefore believe that it will be worth the
wait! As a wildlife photographer wanting to attain, you will soon learn the
lesson of patience if you want to achieve your desired results.
I recall waiting for six hours in the
Kruger National park with cars coming and going before the prize arrived; a
leopard returning to its kill! One of those images is now part of my wildlife portfolio.
Without the wait I would not have received the reward!
Christianity is a religion full of
reward for those who wait it out, the Lord Jesus shall return with His reward!
However only those found faithful will be recipients of that remuneration.
I am persuaded that we will only ever
learn the lesson of patience if we latch onto the reward, without hope we will
be ineffective in this area of our lives. As Christians would we willing endure
affliction if there was no reward, would it not be better to eat, drink and be
merry? This is why so many eat, drink and focus on the carnal rewards they see
in front of them, because they are tangible and real to them. But they do not
understand the gravity of that choice! If they did they would change their
ways. Have I change my ways is the question that needs answering? May God
continue to renew a right spirit in me and may the hardship I face help me understand
that it will be worth it all! The hope of heaven must be bigger than the goals
of this life, if not; our strugglers will weigh heavily on us as worldly sorrow
chokes life from us.
It would be quite a thing if these
lessons that our Father teachers us never had any relief; thank God that He is
A God of love and He cares for all His children. There were times in the
dessert where the Children of Israel were parched and needed water but there
was no water in sight; “Then
Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness
of Shur. They went three
days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they
could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was
named Marah. And the
people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" And
he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the
water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a
rule, and there he tested
them, saying, "If you will diligently listen to the voice of the
LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his
commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you
that I put on the Egyptians, for
I am the LORD, your healer."” (Exodus 15:22-26)
It seemed like a helpless situation, BUT
GOD came to their rescue! Many begrudge their predicament but not all! In spite
of so many moaning God’s grace came to the rescue, praise His name! The waters
in life can be very bitter, but they are no match for our God, He will sweeten
them as and when He sees fit. Once we have learnt to trust Him through the
roughest of patches I believe that is when the waters will be the sweetest!
Without the lessons of patience, this truth will remain foreign to us!
My prayer is that God would help us
all understand His ways and teach us to trust Him more and more each day. Our
God is a God who loves to bless His children; Let us learn to trust and obey;
let us learn from Him as it will always be to our benefit!
Searching out the treasures of this
world is but vain glory and filled with an emptiness that will never truly satisfy.
For all who patiently seek out honour, glory and immortality we know we shall
have them. Our reward will not be a fleeting event in this life that comes and
goes with trouble often attached to it. Our spiritual reward will last for all
eternity. And with the beauty of God’s brilliance manifesting itself along the
way that even through the struggle we can experience a calming peace, praise
His name!
The lesson of patience is not our
enemy but our friend!
Signing off
Tyrone
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