Tag Archives: patience

Learn Patience, September 16, 2019

Today’s Podcast

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Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it seems the world keeps gravitating to the darker side of things. Our news reports never seem to share the good news, only bad. Our advertisements tell us how we might get better with their products implying we are in a sad state without them. Our bodies are never fit enough, lean enough, young enough, pretty enough, energetic enough, something enough, so there is some product out there that will help that. Well, not really. You just can’t push a button or take a pill and expect to look like whoever you see on the screen. Biology doesn’t work that way.

And the good news doesn’t sell. No one gives the salesman money for a product when he tells you, “Hey, you look great. Why don’t you get some of this miracle stuff that will help you look good.” His commission would be pretty small. Or what newspaper would sell if it only told about the boy scouts helping ladies across the street? Unfortunately, we gobble up the murders, robberies, and rapes, but don’t pay much attention to the bright news in the world. At least, it isn’t advertised very much.

No, we live in a culture and a world that seems to grow darker every day. And it’s really a shame because there are some really good things happening around us if we would open our eyes and see it. In fact, right this moment, I’m performing a minor miracle or two or a dozen. I’m sitting at my MacBook typing notes for this podcast, looking out the back door of my very comfortably conditioned home in San Antonio. Inside my home, it’s 72°. Outside, it already feels like 82°, and it’s not 10:00 yet in the middle of September.

The fact that I can even put the words on paper almost as fast as I can talk is something people 100 years ago would never think possible. Manual typewriters were around then, but not computers, not laptops, not the ability to dictate to a machine and have words appear as you spoke them. It would appear as a miracle to them.

And I’m enjoying my favorite beverage as I’m putting this together. Coffee from my Keurig. It took less than a minute to have a steaming hot cup of coffee in any of dozens of flavors. Go back to that 100-year-old spot again. Fifty cents for that cup of coffee would seem a little outrageous to them, but less than a minute from start to finish for a hot cup of coffee? No way! Impossible. 72° in the house? Words appearing on a screen that looks like paper as soon as you speak them? Madness!

Today though, I tapped my fingers on the counter impatiently waiting for that cup of coffee. I can’t believe it takes a whole minute for that stupid machine to get through the process. And my MacBook makes so many mistakes sometimes misunderstanding my Tennessee-Texas-Georgia-North Carolina-Louisiana-German-all those other places I spent too much time accent. I have to go back through and correct all those mistakes. It takes me five or ten minutes sometimes. And why does my air conditioning fluctuate those three degrees between 70° and 73°? Why can’t it stay a perfect 72° all the time?

And I spent a whole 8 minutes in line at McDonald’s waiting for an order of fries and a milkshake, too. Can you believe it took 8 minutes to get such a small order ready? There was only one person in front of me, so I just don’t understand why it took so long!

We have become so impatient, haven’t we? Fast food. Fast news. Twitter, Snap Chat, Instagram, and whatever the newest stuff to get instant information from our friends. We just can’t wait. Time rushes past, and we don’t think we have time for anything. But then…

There is this verse from Numbers 21 that says: “but the people became impatient on the way.” That starts the story of serpents God let loose in the Israelite camp because of their grumbling and complaining about their wandering in the wilderness, a problem they created themselves because of their disobedience. Remember, God barred the Israelites from the promised land because of their disobedience, just as he banished Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden because of their disobedience. And because of their griping and whining, serpents came into the camp, and people started to die.

God told Moses to erect a brass serpent on a cross and put where people could see it, and anyone bit by a serpent who looked at that serpent would not die. He did. They did. People didn’t die. The cure worked. Later, Jesus used the narrative imagery to indicate his death and the redemption, the cure for sin, that would come for all who believed in him and his sacrifice for them.

Impatience led to many deaths in Israel’s camp. Impatience leads to all kinds of problems today. We get anxious for no reason. Our impatience gets us in trouble. We stopped projects or rush through them haphazardly because of our impatience. We accept shoddy work instead of excellence because of impatience. We want things now instead of understanding the best most often comes for those that are patient enough to wait.

Instant gratification is the name of the game in our culture. We become more and more like Veruca Salt in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” a selfish, rotten brat who shows her wealthy family no mercy and has absolutely no regard for other people’s property. She wants anything and everything, and she wants it now. But what does it do to us? Veruca Salt lost. The Israelites lost. Impatience causes us to lose much more often than not. We need to stop and take inventory of our emotions every once in a while and make sure we are not acting like Veruca Salt and her compatriots. I need to remember than a minute for a cup of coffee is okay. Eight minutes for a milkshake and fries is really fast compared to a hundred years ago. And spending a few minutes correcting mistakes because of my poor pronunciation is a lot better than trying to read my poor penmanship that would take a lot more time to write by hand.

Why have we become so impatient? Maybe because we think we know so much. Knowledge or I should say information is doubling every 12 months. Before 1900, it doubled every 100 years or so. Some say the volume of information will soon double every 12 hours because of the digital age. Julian Carver of Saragram created an infographic that gives a visual comparison of digital bytes to physical lengths. First, remember that a megabyte is a million bytes, a group of eight zeros and ones used to replicate a letter or number or character in the digital world. A million megabytes equals one terabyte, and a million terabytes equal one exabyte. He shows that if an ant is a megabyte, the diameter of the sun is an exabyte. An exabyte is a million, million megabytes. The total sum of information on the internet today is about five exabytes. So if a megabyte were the length of an ant, the internet would be the diameter of five suns side by side. And that doubles faster than every 12 months.

Or maybe we have become so impatient because we know we move so fast. 100 years ago, cars were still a luxury. Horsepower even meant something to those who heard the term because they used horses routines to pull plows or wagons or to carry loads too heavy for men to bear. Speed, even with the new horseless carriage, didn’t top fifteen or twenty miles per hour. Those speeds only came in short spurts. Now 50 is about the slowest interstate speed in cities and in west Texas 80 to 85 mph speed limits are not unusual.

Then there is that astronomy stuff we learn about in school and on television documentaries. The earth doesn’t stand still either. Depending on where you’re standing, the earth spins at different speeds since the whole thing spins together. Standing at the equator, you’re moving at about 1,037 mph. At my house just north of San Antonio, I’m moving at about 900 mph. The further north or south you go the slower you spin until you get to the poles that take a whole day to turn in a circle. Then we’re traveling around the sun once a year. To make that 584 million mile journey, we are moving at about 66,627 mph through space. But then our whole solar system is moving inside the Milky Way at about 448,000 mph. On top of that, astronomers tell us the Milky Way is on a collision course with its nearest neighbor galaxy at about 157,000 mph.

So in this fast-paced world that keeps spinning at mind-boggling speeds, we need to stop and take a deep breath, pause, and consider God, the creator of the magnificent world in which we live. After all, he put all of this in place so we can survive on this tiny rock hurtling through the vastness of the universe. We need to stop and enjoy its beauty every once in a while and learn patience.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more Bible-based teaching. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

What does McDonald’s and the Post Office have to do with our spiritual walk? (Luke 24:41-49), January 17, 2017

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Today’s Podcast

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2017-01-17-devotional-What does McDonald’s and the Post Office have to do with our spiritual walk? (Luke 24:41-49)

Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
We have developed a real problem today when it comes to building a relationship with God. Our problem is related to McDonald’s, Intel, and the Post Office. Stick around and see why those things cause us problems in our spiritual walk.
Scripture
1. Luke 24:41-49
2. Jesus: Do you have anything here to eat?

They hand Him a piece of broiled fish, and He takes it and eats it in front of them.

Jesus: I’ve been telling you this all along, that everything written about Me in the Hebrew Scriptures must be fulfilled—everything from the law of Moses to the prophets to the psalms.

Then He opens their minds so they can comprehend the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Jesus: This is what the Scriptures said: that the promised Anointed One should suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, that in His name a radical change of thought and life should be preached, and that in His name the forgiveness of sins should be preached, beginning in Jerusalem and extending to all nations. You have witnessed the fulfillment of these things. So I am sending My Father’s promise to you. Stay in the city until you receive it—until power from heaven comes upon you.

Devotional
1. How impatient have you become in this technological age?
  1. TR 80
  2. Apple iiC, 128 kb memory
  3. Transmissions measured in bytes per second, not megabytes or gigabytes
  4. Open programs, get coffee
  5. Now complain if more than 15 – 20 second start-up
2. Fast food grew up with McDonalds and Wendy’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken
  1. No long waits in restaurants
  2. Short menus
  3. Already mostly cooked
  4. Warmed up and served
  5. Not very nutritious, not very good, but fast
  6. Happy because we don’t wait
  7. Complain if it takes five minutes to get food
3. Complain about speed of delivery
  1. Used to expect seven days for a letter
  2. Ten to fourteen days for a package
  3. Now expect not more than two day delivery, even on weekends and holidays
  4. Can’t wait that extra day for delivery even though it’s something you probably never had before and don’t really need
4. Need to get over our impatience when it comes to knowing God
  1. Stay until
  2. Pray until
  3. Wait until
  4. Until what
5. You are as close to God as you want to be. How long does it take to get as close as you want to be to Him?
If you want to learn more about my church, you can find us at SAF.church. If you like the devotional, share it with someone. If you don’t, tell me. I hope you’ll join me again tomorrow for “A Little Walk with God.”

The dog in the park (Matthew 17:17) April 19, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Exodus 9-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 17:17
Jesus: This generation is no better than the generation who wandered in the desert, who lost faith and bowed down to golden idols as soon as Moses disappeared upon Mount Sinai! How long will I have to shepherd these unbelieving sheep? (turning to the man) Bring the boy to Me.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In the weekly church staff meeting I attend, we try hard to stay on task. We usually have a lot of ground to cover and need to keep on our agenda because all of us are busy and what we really want to get to is the prayer requests that have been given to the staff. If we spend too much time on business that can be done elsewhere or start down tangents, we can easily lose lots of time in the meeting. You’ve probably all been there if you’ve been in more than one meeting in your life.

Invariably, though, something will be thrown on the table that sparks a discussion and off we go. We act just like those young pups you see in the park the owners are trying to train. They are pretty obedient in the middle stages of their training until a squirrel darts across the playground. Then all bets are off. Whatever the trainer was trying to do just ended. That squirrel has become the center of attention and the dog is off to chase it.

No matter how good the treats the trainer offered. No matter how important the training benefitted the dog. No matter how much better off the dog would be with the obedience to the commands the trainer provided. That squirrel was all that was on that dog’s mind. You’ve seen it happen. It seems like just a little thing that distracts the animal and yet it’s whole purpose changed. But a well trained dog will keep its instincts under control. It will let that squirrel run by and leave it alone. It knows his master’s commands to sit and be still will keep it from running into the street and getting hit by a car or will result in a kind word or even his favorite treat from his master.

We’re a lot like that dog being trained. We so often let our fleshly desires chase after insignificant things that will cause us to run out in front of a car instead of keeping them under control so we can get the real rewards in life. We fail to listen to the commands of our master and instead run to and fro after some illusive target that we have little chance of capturing in the first place, but we run as fast as we can to get it only to have it disappear up a tree and we’re left with nothing.

We’ve risked everything. Lost the benefit of all the training we’ve had. Given up that prime spot next to the master. Lost the reward that was just in our reach. For a glimmer of something that stayed out of reach and then disappeared forever.

Jesus described the Israelites that wandered in the desert like that. Wandering sheep in the desert who lost faith and bowed down to idols. They chased after some illusive thing that they thought could do something it couldn’t. They thought they could capture God in a piece of gold and chased after it, but the dream escaped them and He couldn’t be found there. They lost their faith because they chased after a squirrel instead of remaining obedient to the commands of the Master. Consequently, they lost the land promised to them by God. The only adults who left Egypt to enter the promised land were Joshua and Caleb. All the rest died in the desert sands chasing squirrels.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want that as a legacy. Jesus warned His disciples and those around Him about the problem. It’s easy to get off track and chase the things the world throws in front of us. It’s easy to see the glamor and the glitter and think those are important because the world keeps telling us they are important. But all those things will disappear. Those things are temporary. They cannot last. Just look around at the great civilizations and name those that have lasted. They belong in history books and they are covered with dust, buried under tons of sand. They lasted a few hundred years and then they were gone. But what is that in the span of eternity? It’s just the blink of an eye.

We must be steadfast in our faith if we want to see the promised land, heaven. We must listen and obey the commands of God if we expect to make it through the desert of this world to life everlasting with Him. We must stop our flitting around, chasing after every new fad that passes by that sounds good to our ears and pick up God’s word and meditate on it. We must make it part of our daily routine and let it permeate our life. We must become like that well trained dog in the park so that when the squirrels run by, we sit quietly at the Master’s feet knowing our reward is at hand.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

I always answer, just not right now. (Psalm 40), Mar 16, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Psalms 40
Set – Deuteronomy 30; Psalms 40; 1 Corinthians 1
Go! – Deuteronomy 30-31; Psalms 40; 1 Corinthians 1

Psalms 40
¹ I waited a long time for the Eternal;
He finally knelt down to hear me.
He listened to my weak and whispered cry.
² He reached down and drew me
from the deep, dark hole where I was stranded, mired in the muck and clay.
With a gentle hand, He pulled me out
To set me down safely on a warm rock;
He held me until I was steady enough to continue the journey again.
³ As if that were not enough,
because of Him my mind is clearing up.
Now I have a new song to sing—
a song of praise to the One who saved me.
Because of what He’s done, many people will see
and come to trust in the Eternal.
⁴ Surely those who trust the Eternal—
who don’t trust in proud, powerful people
Or in people who care little for reality, chasing false gods—
surely they are happy, as I have become.
⁵ You have done so many wonderful things,
had so many tender thoughts toward us, Eternal my God,
that go on and on, ever increasing.
Who can compare with You?
⁶ Sacrifices and offerings are not what You want,
but You’ve opened my ears, and now I understand.
Burnt offerings and sin offerings
are not what please You.
⁷ So I said, “See, I have come to do Your will,
as it is inscribed of me in the scroll.
⁸ I am pleased to live how You want, my God.
Your law is etched into my heart and my soul.”
⁹ I have encouraged Your people with the message of righteousness,
in Your great assembly (look and see),
I haven’t kept quiet about these things;
You know this, Eternal One.
¹⁰ I have not kept Your righteousness to myself, sealed up in the secret places of my heart;
instead, I boldly tell others how You save and how loyal You are.
I haven’t been shy to talk about Your love, nor have I been afraid to tell Your truth
before the great assembly of Your people.
¹¹ Please, Eternal One, don’t hold back
Your kind ways from me.
I need Your strong love and truth
to stand watch over me and keep me from harm.
¹² Right now I can’t see because I am surrounded by troubles;
my sins and shortcomings have caught up to me,
so I am swimming in darkness.
Like the hairs on my head, there are too many to count,
so my heart deserts me.
¹³ O Eternal One, please rescue me.
O Eternal One, hurry; I need Your help.
¹⁴ May those who are trying to destroy me
be humiliated and ashamed instead;
May those who want to ruin my reputation
be cut off and embarrassed.
¹⁵ May those who try to catch me off guard,
those who look at me and say, “Aha, we’ve trapped you,”
be caught in their own shame instead.
¹⁶ But may all who look for You
discover true joy and happiness in You;
May those who cherish how You save them
always say, “O Eternal One, You are great and are first in our hearts.”
¹⁷ Meanwhile, I am empty and need so much,
but I know the Lord is thinking of me.
You are my help; only You can save me, my True God.
Please hurry.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

David prayed and I rescued him. But he also shared an important principle that I sometimes use in preparing you for your earthly journey. In the very first of David’s song, he thought I didn’t hear him for a long time. It’s not true. I heard him, I just delayed answering him. I needed him to realize he could do absolutely nothing to get himself out of the desperate position he was in before I came to his rescue.

He had faith that I would rescue him. I had before and he prayed and asked for My help. I delayed My coming for a couple of reasons, though. First, I wanted to make sure David knew I was the one providing his rescue. I didn’t want him to think he was getting out of his troubles by means of his own strength and wisdom. I wanted him to understand clearly I provided his need and answered his prayer. Sometimes I have to let you get to the end of your strength before you realize it’s Me that gives you the answer.

I don’t enjoy watching you suffer. It hurts Me to see My children in pain just as it does to see your earthly children suffer. But as you have come to understand, sometimes the suffering is necessary for healing. So it is with some of the circumstances in which you find yourself. I come to your aid when you call, but I don’t always answer in the time or way you desire because I know what is best for you. Just like the specialists that treat your illnesses, I know how best to get you out of the troubles you experience. But you must trust Me as David did.

Second, I might be letting you go through something now to prepare you for something that you must face later. Or I might let you experience some difficulty so you can witness to someone you will encounter in the future. You might need the experience to empathize with a brother or sister to help strengthen them in their time of need.

I know that when I ask you to wait it will always seem the toughest answer. Yes is what you want to hear and no might disappoint you, but answers your prayer quickly. Waiting always seems to cause additional stress in an already stressful situation. Trust Me, though. I know what I’m doing. I’ve been at this business of answering prayer a long time. I know when to answer quickly and when it is best for you to delay My answer. Draw strength from Me and know that I will always hear you and I will always answer.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.