HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 248
page A246
Patience continued
• R O MA NS 8 :2 5 | But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait
patiently and confidently.
Patience is produced by the hope a believer has in God’s plans, especially his eternal
plans. When your long-range future is totally secure, you can be more patient with today’s
frustrations.
• 2 T I MOT H Y 2 :2 4 | A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone,
be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.
God develops patience in you through your relationship with others. Abrasive relationships
teach you to patiently endure. Even in loving relationships patience is necessary.
• R O MA NS 5 :3 -4 | We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know
that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and
character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
God uses life’s circumstances to develop your patience. You can’t always choose the
circumstances that come your way, but you can choose how you will respond to them.
What are some of the consequences of impatience?
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• G E NE S I S 1 6 :1 -2 | Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him.
But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has
prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have
children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal.
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Impatience may cause you to rush ahead and take matters into your own hands, even
when you know it’s wrong. Patience helps you to wait for God’s promises and plans to
unfold, rather than trying to force things to happen ahead of schedule.
• 1 S A MU E L 1 3 :1 1 -1 4 | . . . But Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied,
“I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and
the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. . . . So I felt compelled to offer the burnt
offering myself before you came.” “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not
kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have
established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the
Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to
be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (See note on
page 255.)
Impatience can lead to disobedience, causing you to miss God’s blessings in your life.
• NU MB E R S 2 1 :4 -5 | But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began
to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the
wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we
hate this horrible manna!”
Impatience can lead to complaining and sometimes God’s punishment.
• PR O V E R B S 1 4 :2 9 | People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows
great foolishness.
• E X O DU S 3 2 :1 -4 | When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down
the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods
who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here
from the land of Egypt.” So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives
and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” . . . Then Aaron took the gold, melted it
down, and molded it into the shape of a calf.
Impatience can lead to poor choices.
What does it mean to “wait patiently for” the Lord?
• I SA I A H 3 3 :2 | But Lord, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm
each day and our salvation in times of trouble.