Multitude Monday

Galatians 5:22-23 ~ "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Patience is not my strong point. I probably blow it 2-3 times a day if not more. However, in looking at patience we need to go back to the beginning. Why should we practice patience? If we could only understand how much the Lord has saved us from and how much patience He has with us, we would probably have an infinite amount of patience ourselves.

I love the verses in I Timothy 1.

I Timothy 1:15-17 ~ "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen."

AMEN! He lovingly waits for us to turn to Him. He shows us mercy and patience. He longs for an intimate walk with us and yet so often, we act as if He isn't even there. Think of the amount of patience the Lord has with each of us. We deserve death. Yet, He offers us life. We deserve punishment and yet, He gives us forgiveness. We deserve nothing and yet He offers us an abundant life.

We in turn, when we understand this, should emulate His patience to those around us. How can we who have a GIANT sized log in our eye get so angry and impatient with those who have specks? Let's remember how much the Lord has forgiven us. Let's thank Him for His patience with us. Let's imitate His long suffering with our families, friends, co-workers and neighbors in order to point them to the one and only reason we are here - Jesus Christ!

Today I'm thankful for Blessings #626-640

♥ Spending time with good friends at an impromptu birthday celebration.
♥ Realizing I don't have to do it all, all the time! :-)
♥ A couple in our church who stepped out in faith and started a youth group. We had 11 teens for our first meeting.



♥ God's provision of just enough at just the right time.
♥ Warm gingerbread
♥ Clean sheets
♥ The faithful service of our worship leader for the past 2 1/2 years. He and his wife are moving on and will be missed.



♥ The scent of freshly made bread.
♥ A fixed tooth
♥ Children who are adjusting far beyond my dreams to their new schools.
♥ A fun-filled night with some of my favorite teenagers.



♥ A wonderful week of fellowship with a friend who is a missionary to Bosnia. She is home for the year and spent the week with us.
♥ A beautiful time of worship yesterday.
♥ Gorgeous colors.



and finally...

♥ God's infinite patience with me.