Monday Morning Perspective

Fruit that's always in season, patience. The message Sunday was on patience, anyone but me need that one. Cannot even begin to tell you how much I needed that one. I need not only to practice patience with others but I am so grateful that God and people in my life have exercised patience with me. Eddie did a great job pointing out from the little things in our daily life to the big crisis moments in our life we need to practice patience. Those little irritants such as traffic and checking out of a store along with the big things of life like Job faced can all be used by God to produce patience and enable our faith to grow. I have found lately that every time I begin to lose patience with someone, God gently reminds me how much I need the patience of others. How many times when I have been complaining to Him about the difficult people in my life who are irritating to me, that He has brought to my mind that I have been the difficult person to others more than once and done my share of irritating. Seems like every week throughout this study I have had to repent of my own actions or lack thereof. But that's the point isn't it. I don't like sitting through sermons that don't challenge me to jack it up a notch or show me some area I need to improve on or turn particular things over to the Lord. If I'm not interested in changing and growing I might as well stay home. I don't go to hear how good I am or how well I'm doing. I go to hear the Word and allow His Holy Spirit to work on me and through me. Praise Him that I am not the same person I used to be but He has so much work left to do with me. I'm so glad that He loves me just as I am but too much to let me stay this way. I need the challenge and am grateful for a pastor who does that every week.