Waiting

Luke 2:22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord,
:23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord",
:24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."
:25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
:26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
:27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law,
:28 he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said:
:29 "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;
:30 for my eyes have seen Your salvation
:31 which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
:32 a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel."
:33 And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34 Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against,
:35 (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
:36 Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years form her virginity;
:37 and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
:38 And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Is 30:18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Do you ever get impatient waiting for God for anything? We often equate "wait" with "waste".

If you are waiting for something or someone, you think you are doing nothing, which seems like a waste of time.

Waiting serves many purposes. It proves our faith. Those whose faith is weak are often the first to give up waiting, while those with the strongest faith are willing to wait indefinitely.

Not receiving an answer immediately when we pray is not a reason to give up faith.

Faith and Riches

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
When you are in the middle of a crisis, what you really believe manifests itself in your words, actions, and attitudes.
Jn 11:21 Now Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. She was voicing past-tense faith.
Jn 11:23 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
11:24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." That was future-tense faith.
11:22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You." That was now faith, which is present-tense.
2 Co 4:18 While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Now faith stakes its claim on something, even if we don't see it.
2 Co 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
Too often we base our feelings on what we see. We become prisoners of our own perceptions; we cease walking in faith. Reality extends beyond what you can see.
Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
He knows how the story ends, so fix your eyes on the unseen and not on what you see.
Eph 4:26 "Be angry, and do not sin", do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
Too often I harbor anger all day. Lord, give me grace to forgive right away.
1 Tim 6:6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.
:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
:8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content;
:9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.
:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
:13 If I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate,
:14 that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing,
:15 which He will manifest in His own time. He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
:16 who alone has immortality dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power, Amen.
:17 Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
:18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,
:19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
God measures wealth by the quality of our lives and our generous giving to bless others. Riches are a blessing only to those who make them a blessing to others.

Regrets and Miracles

Ps 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
:2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity. And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
:3 When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long.
:4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
:5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. " And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
:6 For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they shall not come near him.
:7 You are my hiding place, You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.
:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
:9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which has no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle else they will not come near you.
:10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked; but he who trusts in the Lord, mercy shall surround him.
:11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, You righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

 
In hindsight, the psalmist saw the wisdom of a life that strives to honor the Lord – a life that does not need to be marked by regret.

 
May our choices today not result in regret, but rather be wise and God-honoring.

 
Jn 9:25 He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know; that though I was blind, now I see."

 
The Pharisees wanted to debate with the blind man about where Jesus' power came from and who He was. He refused. Today some say the day of miracles is past. There is no "day" of miracles. There is a God of miracles. He never changes. Neither does the fact that He can work miracles. If you have a problem or addiction, believe He has the power to change that. You've tried everything else, now try God. He will not fail you. Just have faith!

Hypocrites!

Lk 12:1 In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
:2 For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.
:3 Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the rooftops.
:4 And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
:5 But I will show you who you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!"
:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God.
:7 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Hypocrites put on a show of righteousness while hiding sinful thoughts and actions. Christ warned His disciples and us that secret sin will someday be fully exposed.

Yeast may be a blessing in a bakery, but it can also remind us to guard our heart against sin.

Num 32:23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.

2 Pet 1:5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

Your goal must be to get a little more faith each day, to build on the previous day and to learn from its failures .

Temptation and Faith

Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
:18 of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called."
:19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
:20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
:21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff.
:22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.
:23 By faith Moses, when he was born was hidden three months by his parents because they saw that he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command.
:24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
:25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin,
:26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.
:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible.
:28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
:29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dryland, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days.
:31 By faith the harlot Rehab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.
:32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets.

 
Are you looking for a second chance with God? There's a widespread idea that if you once miss "God's best" you can never again render gold-medal service to Him. But in Hebrews 11, faith's 'hall of fame', we read of several who failed yet came back strong for the Lord.
Abraham, often willful and impatient in waiting for the son God had promised, demonstrated amazing faith in offering up Isaac. Jacob, the schemer who stole his brother's birthright and blessing, became a man of faith who blessed his children and worshipped God. Moses spent 40 years in Midian before leading God's people out of Egypt.
Our previous mistakes don't necessarily exclude us from serving God. His best for us is that we turn away from our sin, learn from our failures, and begin anew to follow Christ. That's how you get a second chance.

 
Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
Some people think temptation is sin. It isn't. Acting on the temptation is sin. The devil wants you to blame yourself when you are tempted. When you believe that you are condemned and discouraged. That is when you will act on the temptation. Then it becomes sin. So when you're tempted reject the devil's condemnation and reach for Christ's overcoming assistance.

Do People See Your Faith?

Luke 7:1 Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.
:2 And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.
:3 So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him,
:4 and when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving
:5 "for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue."
:6 Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, :Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.
:7 Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word and my servant will be healed.
:8 For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go and he goes; and to another, 'Come, and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this, and he does it".
:9 When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, "I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!"
:10 And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well who had been sick."

 
Do you have this kind of faith? Or do you have to see the miracle to believe it? If you have to see the proof before believing in a miracle, how do you have faith in Christ, Who you have never seen?