Living By God’s Timetable Is PATIENCE

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The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – PATIENCE #3

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

We need to understand that love is the first characteristic of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of love, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. Love is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating 1 Corinthians 13.

Job’s Response to Eliphaz

In Job 7:6 NLT says, “My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle. They end without hope.”

The rapid motion of a weaver’s beam is used to portray the quick passing of life from birth to death (Psalm 78:39; 90:5). While the nights are endured as long, the days fly by without hope and significance – a continuous blur as they shuttle by.

In his response to Eliphaz (Job 6–7), Job argued that any sin he might have committed was far outweighed by the calamity he had suffered. He said there was no need for complaint when all was going well (Job 6:5) and that food and salt go together (Job 6:6) just as trouble and wailing do.

In this passage, Job laments that his days are “swifter than a weaver’s shuttle.” They are not only brief, they’re pointless. Routine is at once our killer and our savior. To get up and do the same thing every day gives us a way to live and a reason to get up every morning. But Job’s reaction is one often made by people whose routines do not furnish them with meaning. Job had to cry out in his despair that not all the requirements of his life were providing him with much hope.

Still, the crisis itself may speak to that which is noblest. Since we cannot outrun a weaver’s shuttle, maybe we ought to focus on those values that the passing of time cannot steal. What values are timeless? What makes values valuable? Only one thing – values assigned by God never fade. The sense of the hurriedness of life belongs to us all – those who use their time well and those who don’t. But those who give their days and years to God do triumph over time. Those who focus on cultivating the values of God find that life is meaningful even in the rush of life.

Job, like all of us, must still get up, even on those hopeless days, and determine to pace our living. We must determine that the larger goals are to cultivate a heart for God, no matter what the day may bring. The habit of patience is reflective. It thinks about God and His purposes in our lives. Patience – the pacing of our affairs – says to the hurried, frantic clocks that surround us: “We can speed our day toward the grave, but we alone determine the quality of meaning those days will hold.” Amen!

Hezekiah’s Sickness and Recovery

In 2 Kings 20:1-7 NLT says, “1 About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the Lord says: Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.” 2 When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, 3 “Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.” Then he broke down and wept bitterly. 4 But before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, this message came to him from the Lord: 5 “Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord. 6 I will add fifteen years to your life, and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my own honor and for the sake of my servant David.’”7 Then Isaiah said, “Make an ointment from figs.” So, Hezekiah’s servants spread the ointment over the boil, and Hezekiah recovered!”

Hezekiah reigned 715–687 or 686 B.C., about twenty-five years (2 Kings 18:2); Judah was invaded in the fourteenth year (2 Kings 18:13); in 2 Kings 20:6 God promises him fifteen more years to live. From these data it is evident that this illness reported here must have occurred in the year of Sennacherib’s campaign in 701 B.C. (Patterson). Isaiah . . . came to him – Isaiah here and in the book named for him moves easily in and out of the presence of King Hezekiah. This has led many scholars to deduce that he was a member of a respected family in Jerusalem, perhaps a member of the court, or a court prophet. Set thine house in order – This refers to designating his successor, in this case Manasseh, who was but twelve years old when he became co-regent about 697 B.C. (Thiele). thou shalt die, and not live – The point here is not the nature of the disease, but that it was mortal, and only the miraculous healing power of God could save him. His illness may well have occurred prior to the Assyrian invasion to be something of a parable of what was to befall Judah (Robinson). Judah, like the king, was doomed unless there was divine intervention.

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed – not like Ahab (1 Kings 21:4), in fretful discontent, but in order to focus his thoughts in prayer.

In Isaiah 38, a parallel account of this incident, Isaiah 38:10 offers an expansion of the idea rather cryptically set forth here; in RSV’s wording, it starts off: “In the noontide of my days I must depart.” In other words, Hezekiah expresses great regret that he must die an early death. This, in orthodox Hebrew thought of the time, was the reward of the wicked, not of the good (Robinson). In his prayer Hezekiah states that he has kept the conditions of the kingship (as covenanted with David) as faithfully as human weakness allowed.

There is in the OT historical books and Psalm a well worked out theology of the kingship of David and his dynasty, starting with his elevation to that office by divine designation (1 Samuel 16:13) and buttressed by the covenant given him by God (2 Samuel 7:8-16). This theology is set forth clearly in some eleven so-called “royal Psalms,” notably Psalms 2, 89, and 132. This phrase comes from that thinking. It conveys an assurance that the Lord was mindful of all His promises to David and will continue to carry out His end of the covenant -i.e., preserve David’s descendants on the throne of Judah. on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the LORD – Based on Hosea 6:2, which states “in the third day he will raise us (i.e., Israel) up,” it could be that recovery from a serious disease in three days would be considered a miracle. This same idea could be behind our Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection on the third day. Even in recent decades, Arab physicians applied a poultice of figs to boils and to some other types of skin eruptions, for figs have been considered useful in ripening and opening hard boils, and in soothing ulcers and inflammatory skin diseases. A fig poultice remedy is recorded in texts from Ugarit, dating to before 1200 B.C. (Gray). It is noteworthy that it is a combination of a medicinal remedy along with prayer and faith that led to Hezekiah’s recovery. God promises the faithful king fifteen additional years. Since Hezekiah’s death is fixed at 686 B.C. (Thiele), reckoning backwards would place his illness at c. 701 B.C., just before Sennacherib’s invasion.

Who wants to die? Not many of us. But don’t we long for God’s presence? Don’t we want to be with God? As our minutes on this earth slip away, we are faced with the recognition that all people must die. So, our challenge becomes how to live for God before we die and spend the rest of our existence with God.

“I’ll die when my number’s up” is an adage used by those who have forgotten the hold that the world has on us. We all are confident of heaven when we die. But no one wants to go on the next load. In spite of the fact that we are counting on heaven being better than this world, we cling to this world as tightly as we can for as long as we can.

Hebrews reminds us that each of us is destined to die. Since the last heartbeat is an approaching reality, maybe patience would teach us that the heartbeats along the way are our means of coming to terms with our mortality. Our purpose from God is to use wisely the minutes we have allotted to us. Amen!

A Time for Everything

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NLT says, “1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. 5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.

The words of Ecclesiastes 3:1 suggest a “divinely ordained” time, not just an appropriate time (Ephesians 1:11). God has entrusted governmental authority with responsibility to carry out capital punishment in the case of murder (Ecclesiastes 3:3; Genesis 9:6). The word “hate” (Ecclesiastes 3:8) does not always suggest hostility or malice, for it can be an expression speaking of an appropriate attitude toward evil (Luke 14:26).

This passage in Ecclesiastes says that there is a time for everything. But how do we fit everything into our time here on earth? Let’s look to our Lord Jesus Christ as our role model.

There is truly a time for everything in this world. Surely, we should be able in some way to find a balance between getting the things done that we can accomplish and having patience for the rest.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is a wonderful model for patience. He had only a few years to minister on this earth, yet He never worried that He would not have time to accomplish all that God had planned for Him. He trusted God’s perfect timetable.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said that mental frenzy is to no avail. Jesus Christ suggested we take a cue from nature. The birds do not worry, yet they are cared for (Matthew 6:25-27). Since inner turmoil is pointless, why not give ourselves instead to patience? Patience walks slowly and shouts to the self-absorption that would cause us to hurry, “To succeed is not to hurry toward success. It is to trust God, to walk slowly, to live long, and to see the world we once hurried through.”

Let’s take our cue from our Lord Jesus Christ and dismiss any worry from our lives. We were allotted enough time to do exactly what God has created us to do. Our Lord Jesus Christ spent 33 years on this earth. Only three of those years, He devoted to ministry. If our Lord Jesus Christ felt no hurry, neither should we. Amen!

A Parable for the Rich Fool

In Luke 12:16-21 NLT says, “16 Then He told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ proceeded to illustrate His point that life consists of more than wealth and possessions. This story includes a rich man who had a productive year on his farm. He tore down his barns and built bigger ones so that he could store everything. While there was nothing wrong with the man’s rejoicing in his crop or building to make storage, his basic flaw was in focusing completely on his wealth and on his own enjoyment. In Greek, this story includes the word “my” four times and the word “I” eight times. As this story reveals, the man’s joy came from his things – but things do not last forever.

The rich man was concerned for no one else, and he had no care for God. With no eternal perspective, the man’s life was completely focused on the temporal. His goal to take it easy and to eat, drink, and be merry reveals his desire for mere self-indulgence. He thought that, with his barns storing up mountains of wealth for the future, he had everything completely under control. The rich man had made a fatal flaw: he had forgotten to put God at the center of his life. Concerned for no one but himself, when the time came for him to stand before God, he was nothing more than a fool.

The moral of the story: fools spend all their time storing up earthly wealth but neglect to have a rich relationship with God. The turning point is for whom the treasures are being accumulated. If for oneself, then the evils of wealth will be turned loose. Being rich toward God means using wealth as He provides it to fulfill His priorities. People who are “rich” in this way love God and are filled with a passion to obey and serve Him and to give to others. In this way, the “treasures” a person may gain in this life can be gladly handed back over to God for His use in furthering His Kingdom. Amen!

Patience is not the mode of Wall Street. Buy now! Eat fast food! Don’t wait on anything! Into this hassled generation comes a quiet word, “Slow down, see a needy world, and serve it. “ To serve only ourselves is will someday be gone, but serve others with our time, and our legacy will live on forever”. Amen!

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication

In Daniel 6:6-10 NLT says, ” 6 So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! 7 We are all in agreement – we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors – that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human – except to you, Your Majesty – will be thrown into the den of lions. 8 And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 9 So King Darius signed the law. 10 But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.“

They assembled hastily and haphazardly; this gave the king no time to reflect on their decree to assure the safety of the kingdom. Without doubt, the majority of these governors were race-conscious Medes and Persians. They apparently did not take kindly to the promotion of an exiled Jew to a position of authority above them (Archer). Cyrus evidently looked favorably upon the Jews, for in addition to the appointment of Daniel in his government, he also wrote an edict about this time to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:2-4).

This edict was calculated to boost the king’s ego and give him a feeling of security in his new position. He would take this as evidence of the loyalty of his governors, and the claim that he was semi-divine could only strengthen his claim to the throne. This edict would clearly encroach upon the practice of private religion, but its temporary status would have made it seem harmless enough. Darius, however, would later find that the feigned loyalty of his governors was a facade to hide their plan for bringing Daniel down. All . . . have consulted – The delegation to Darius claimed that all the leaders had concurred on the decision; this was a lie, since Daniel, the president of this group, knew nothing of it. The den of lions – probably an underground cave or pit, covered with a stone. It is consistent with the Persian way of punishment that he was not thrown in the furnace, for unlike the Babylonians, they were not fire worshipers.

Certain laws made by the Medes and the Persians were apparently irrevocable. In support of this, the writer of Esther assumes that the laws of the Persians cannot be revoked (Esther 1:19; 8:8).

Instead of complaining about the unjust decree, Daniel prayed to God. In spite of his responsibility as ruler of an empire, he found time to pray three times a day. Daniel’s three friends are not mentioned (Daniel 3) because the edict is being issued solely to test him (Daniel 6:5).

Daniel always withdrew from the king’s court to pray. The windows . . . open – By opening the windows in the direction of Jerusalem he showed his loyalty to God. The chamber – The Jews usually offered prayer in an upper room (Acts 1:13), not on the housetop (Acts 10:9) where they would be conspicuous. The three times a day – He submitted to God on his knees three times a day (Psalm 55:17). He prayed on the third, sixth, and ninth hours, which means nine, twelve, and three o’clock (Acts 2:15; 3:1; 10:9; 10:30; cf. Daniel 9:21). The as . . . aforetime – This was Daniel’s usual practice. Thus, it was not done out of contempt for the king’s command.

It is safe to say that Daniel was pacing his life with prayer. Those who believe in the importance of prayer do a rather remarkable thing in this hurried, over-scheduled world of ours. They simply stop running and take perfectly good time that they could use for success and achievement to pray. Why? Because to pray is to succeed. To arrive at any plateau of personal advancement having not prayed is to have gotten there the wrong way.

Prayer changes things, but the most important thing it changes is us. This is perhaps the first thing we should see about prayer and the last thing we usually do see. So many intercessors and us expend our spiritual energy asking God for changes we want to see in the world, and while we may see some changes, we fail to see that the major change is within ourselves.

Notice the methodology of Daniel’s prayer routine in Daniel 6:10: First, he leaves what he has been doing. Second, he goes when he can be alone with God. Third, he prays and offers thanks to God. Notice that he does these three times a day. Daniel makes time for a relationship with God.

Prayer keeps us flexible and keeps us willing to modify or delete those personal parts of our ambitions that make us most neurotic, anxious, fearful, disturbed, irrational, obsessed, or overanxious. Those who, like Daniel, let prayer interrupt and slow our pace are able to focus on our relationship with God and to communicate with Him. Amen!

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible.

So, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom (fruit of the Holy Spirit) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the first of the list > agape love of God, and in our treatment of others. Amen!

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, let me encourage our brothers- and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others, we constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these PATIENCE Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

1. Learned the art of waiting on God
2. Reminded us how to receive the blessings of God
3. Learned to live by God’s timetable
4. Learn to think about unhurried or painstaking virtue
5. Know how to acquire this virtue slowly
6. Learn to wait from what God promises

On every Podcast, I always have three (3) questions we can answer from only these two (2) Sources: The Bible and Guidance of the Holy Spirit. The following are:

First is about our > Observation: What do these passages or Scriptures say to you?

Second is about our own > Interpretation: What do these passages or Scriptures mean to you?

Third is about how we can apply > Application: How do the meaning of these passages or Scriptures apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer or you have relatives, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and people in your circle of influence, please take a look and/or guide them to one of our ministries, “An Invitation To Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Let’s give an opportunity for the lost souls to experience on being Born-Again Christian as explained by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of John 3:13 in the New Testament of the Bible.

It is as simple as A, B, & C > Admit, Believe, & Confess. All Born-Again Christian believers prayed this simple prayer we called “Sinner’s Prayer”

“Father God, I come to in the name of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge and admit that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I believe and have faith in Jesus Christ who was born of Virgin Mary, died on the Cross for the penalty of my sins, and rose again that I may have the eternal life. I confess and declare Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord of my life. Comfort, guide, and help me Holy Spirit to live and grow in my spiritual life according to Your Words, purpose, and perfect will of God, in my Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

If you prayed this, “Sinner’s Prayer” sincerely in your heart, you are Born-Again Christian believer. However, you are a spiritual baby who needs to grow up. (See 1 Peter 2:2)

Now, let me pray for all of you:

Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

Let’s praise and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Give all thanks to God for all answered prayers.

Please send your > Praise Reports (answered prayers) and New Prayer Requests via email to: TrinityBlessings@homefellowshipchurches.org. God bless you all and our families!

A Call to Repentance and Be Blessed

In Malachi 3:7-15 AMPC says, “7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ 8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse – See 2 Chronicles 31:11; cf. 1 Chronicles 26:20; Nehemiah 10:38; 13:5, 12. If the temple storehouses were empty, it was the people’s fault. God had already blessed them with enough to give a little back to Him.

Instead of destroying our crops (blessings), God would make them come in greater abundance than we had ever imagined possible (Amos 4:9; Haggai 2:19; Zechariah 8:12). The devourer – probably referring to locusts, though the word here is general in meaning (Baldwin). In the Near East, locust swarms are known for their ability to damage huge tracts of agricultural land (see note on Joel 1:4).

A delightsome land – All of the blessings promised to Jacob would come to pass if the people would obey God (Deuteronomy 33:29; Zechariah 8:13). Their land would be a delight to all who saw it (Daniel 8:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:7-12 was the people’s departure from God as reflected by their neglect of tithes and offerings. Two annual tithes were required according to Israelite law – one for the Levites (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21), and one to be used in worship at the annual feasts in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 14:22). A tithe was required every three years to provide for the needs of the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). There is debate as to whether this tithe for the poor was in addition to or served as a substitute for the tithe used in worship.

The New Testament pattern for tithing is proportionate giving – a person is to give “in relation to what you have earned” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Certainly a tithe should be given proportionate to one’s wealth, but not all proportionate giving is a tithe.

The anticipation of blessing for obedience to God’s command to tithe was based on the Mosaic covenant, which promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Malachi 3:10; cf. Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Generally, God will meet the needs of His own people (Psalm 34:9-10; Philippians 4:19), but that is not an unconditional guarantee. There certainly were and are exceptions. Yet, where God chooses not to provide physically, He gives sufficient grace to go without (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:14-15 was that the people were guilty of arrogant words against God. They were saying, “There is no prophet who is serving God,” and “God is not concerned about justice.” God responded by showing that He did distinguish between the wicked and the righteous. The righteous would be blessed, and the wicked would be judged.