Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
James 1:4
And let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
Patience. Patience has been on my mind since I woke up this morning. I have had to have patience to write this blog. I had to have patience record notes to be able to sit down and write this blog. Patience. I had to have patience on my computer this morning to sit down and write this blog because it was going so slow.
There is a situation in my life that requires patience. Something new that is taking place between me and the Lord requires patience....and trust. I am not sure really what to do at this moment, because I was headlong barreling into something, but events have delayed my ambitions. So, I must be patient. And pray.
In pondering this particular situation I have some thoughts. I believe that so many things God has planned for us are missed because we don't have patience. I know He has good plans for me, (Jeremiah 29:11), but if I don't slow down and have patience, I will miss them.
My husband went Active Duty Army in December 2008. It has taken me from then until now to get used to the Army life. It is a different culture in a different city. Many things have happened along the way to "help" me get used to this life. I cannot say it has been easy. It has been one of the most difficult things ever. Not sure exactly why. He was on deployment with the National Guard before he went active duty, and was gone for a year and it was much easier. Maybe this has been a harder stint because I have been removed from my comfort zone. No family. No close friends. Nothing familiar. Everything is new. During deployment I was in a familiar place, with friends and family close by. It was familiar. This is not. New. Everything is new. I could have jumped ship many times. And have wanted to repeatedly from the moment we got here. BUT, I am glad I didn't. I am learning patience. I am learning that God has a bigger plan, than what I thought. If I didn't stay with Him, I would have missed out on growth, learning, challenges, and also patience.
One of the definitions for patience at dictionary.com, is "quiet, steady, perserverance." This is how I can only describe my experience in this new city, in this new place, in this new culture. I can look back now and realize that I must go through many things to ultimate reach God's purpose. And I know that I am not there yet. If any of you reading this know me from ten years ago, you can attest to the fact that where I started out is so unbelievably far from where I am now. It is amazing what God can do with a life if we have patience. I will continue to count on this...in my life and the life of my children. Well, I think that is all for now. I have to push the pause button again to go wash and cut an apple. Patience.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Early Church and Food
Acts 2
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe [4] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The early church fellowshipped over food. That must have been something that was important. It should be important to us as a church today as well. It is so difficult to get to know others during a church service. It seems like people rush into church and then rush right out. If you have children, you must go pick them up as soon as service is out to allow the children’s workers to clean up and prepare to leave. There is very little opportunity to fellowship during the service. Under these circumstances, it is hard to develop relationships with others in the church or it just takes a really long time. The early church must have done some things we don’t do now. They fellowshipped over food. They must have lived in close proximity to one another because cars were not an option. There were methods of travel via the use of animals, but they still had to live close. The Bible says they shared everything in common and everybody’s needs were met. These are things that are not taking place now. Could it be possible that the Holy Spirit was more present because of the love that existed between these people? We are too busy now. We need to slow down.
*Note: I wrote the above passage BEFORE I went back and read the above scriptures. More will come on this subject because it is something on my heart and I feel like it requires much attention. I just wanted to get my thoughts out without agonizing over perfection in my writing at this point. I realize there is so much more in the passage of scripture above.
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe [4] came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The early church fellowshipped over food. That must have been something that was important. It should be important to us as a church today as well. It is so difficult to get to know others during a church service. It seems like people rush into church and then rush right out. If you have children, you must go pick them up as soon as service is out to allow the children’s workers to clean up and prepare to leave. There is very little opportunity to fellowship during the service. Under these circumstances, it is hard to develop relationships with others in the church or it just takes a really long time. The early church must have done some things we don’t do now. They fellowshipped over food. They must have lived in close proximity to one another because cars were not an option. There were methods of travel via the use of animals, but they still had to live close. The Bible says they shared everything in common and everybody’s needs were met. These are things that are not taking place now. Could it be possible that the Holy Spirit was more present because of the love that existed between these people? We are too busy now. We need to slow down.
*Note: I wrote the above passage BEFORE I went back and read the above scriptures. More will come on this subject because it is something on my heart and I feel like it requires much attention. I just wanted to get my thoughts out without agonizing over perfection in my writing at this point. I realize there is so much more in the passage of scripture above.
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