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“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in
you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1:6
I for one have a really hard time with patience. I watch the news at night and say to myself, “It
can’t get any worse.” and then it does. In the last 30 years, yes I’m old enough to
remember the 80’s, I have watched the world become more and more accepting and
tolerant of the very unrighteousness that God warns us about continually
throughout scripture. People just seem
to not care, or they do not want to get involved or rock the boat. We have gradually become a society of
complacent Christians, concerned solely about our own self righteousness. The old story of how to boil a frog comes to
mind, perhaps you’ve heard it before.To boil a frog you must first catch one. Place a pot of water on the stove, but do not light the burner yet. Place the frog into the pot, and secure the lid (this is important because those little suckers like to jump). You’ll find the frog relaxed in the water. Light the burner and put it on a low temperature. The water will begin to slowly get warm, turn the burner up to 50% after 10 minutes and let the water warm up again, then finally turn the burner up to 100% and bring the water to a boil. The gradual warming of the water is unnoticed by the frog until such time that it is too late and his defenses are gone.
The rise and adoption of a worldly view in society has slowly and gradually removed the knowledge and understanding of what it means to serve God. My fear is that we are drifting farther from the coast without any understanding that the tide is taking us out to sea, because it is so gradual. If you have ever been to the ocean, you know what I mean. There is an undercurrent, not visible to the swimmer or those on the beach. The beachcomber sees the waves crashing in and perceives that all things will wash back to shore. The swimmer who might be 50 feet off of the shoreline may have the same perspective as they frolic and play in the surf. It doesn’t take long for one to realize, that while in the ocean you are actually being drawn away from the shore though. Under the water’s surface is a current that results from the rolling waves, and this current will push an unaware swimmer down the beach and out to sea. Suddenly, the swimmer is no longer 50 feet, but 75, then 100 and then the water begins to get deeper and it becomes harder to swim back against the current.
We must remain diligent in our efforts and purpose in serving the Lord. He has placed us on this earth for this very
point in time, with the ability and the gifts to serve His Kingdom right where
we are. It requires patience and
persistence though. God does not work on
our timetable and although there are times we wish Jesus would come back today,
He realizes there is still much work to do.
Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6, that what God has started inside of
us, will come to pass in due time. He
has not forsaken or forgotten us, and we need to be strong in staying the
course, standing for His righteousness and glory, and spreading His love and
message to those in need. Do not allow
the slow dulling of the world’s opinion influence the strength of yours. You are an overcomer through Christ Jesus and
you are destined for an eternity with the King.
Stand for His principles, His truth and refuse the tolerance of
unrighteousness perpetrated by society.
For on that day, when He comes again, you will be in His glory and
serving His Kingdom.
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