Do We Desire Tomatoes Or Oak Trees? Patience?

DO WE WANT TOMATOES OR OAK TREES…

GET UP AND TRY AGAIN?! A GOOD TEAM: PERSISTENCE AND PATIENCE.

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

You can have tomatoes in one season. A mighty oak is just a nut that stood its ground for decades!

TEXT:

Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Colossians 1:11 (MSG) We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy,

Romans 8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Romans 8:25 (MSG) But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.

Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

Luke 21:19 (NIV) By standing firm you will gain life.

Luke 21:19 (MSG) Staying with it—that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.

*Persistence: The quality that allows someone to continue doing something, to keep trying, to continue eventhough it is difficult or opposed by others, to keep trying longer than expected,

*PERSEVERANCE: CONTINED EFFORTTO DO OR ACHIEVE DESTITE DIFFICULTIES, FAILURE OR OPPOSITION, STEADFAST,

*Patience: forbearance, longsuffering, to bear pains or trials calmly without complaining, to bear, to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time while dealing with problems and difficult people, to do in a careful way over a period of time without hurrying,

NOW IS THE TIME… DO IT NOW…

JOHN F. KENNEDY HAD A STORY HE LOVED TO TELL: The story about General Louis Lyautey from France. World War 1. The General told his gardener to PLANT AN OAK TREE on his property. The gardener warned the General “THIS TREE WILL GROW SO SLOW GROWING AND IT WOULD TAKE NEAR A 100 YEARS FOR THIS OAK TO REACH MATURITY. The general then replied: IF THAT IS THE CASE, THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE, PLANT THE TREE TODAY!

WHY DOES PATIENCE AND PERSITENCE HAVE SUCH A DIRTY NAME?

WE BELIEVE AN ACCEPT A TERRIBLE MYTH IN THE CHURCH…

When I was a little boy we were in revival at another church. A lady stood up and said: I need more patience. Let us pray for more patience. The next night at the revival the lady stood up and was crying real hard. She explained that while she was at church last night, her husband ran off with another lady. The pastor stood up and said: HONEY, THAT IS WHAT YOU PRAYED FOR LAST NIGHT --- TRIBULATION!

That was a crazy answer. I knew that! First off she prayed that after her husband had run off --- he was already gone. Second off her husband never ran off with a woman because she prayed.

PATIENCE IS AT WORK IN EEVERY BELIEVER. Sure tribulation is part of life.

Romans 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Romans 5:3 (MSG) There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, 4 and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.

EVEN WHEN YOUNG STRONG PEOPLE ARE FAINTING GOD HAS A PLAN CALLED PATIENCE --- WAITING. THERE IS A TERRIBLE DISEASE THAT THRIVES IN THE CHURCH --- WHEN THINGS ARE NOT UP TO OUR EXPECTATIONS WE ARE CHRONICALLY, HABITUALLY DISAPPOINTED AT GOD.

Isaiah 40:27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:

31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

GOD IS NOT SANTA CLAUS FOR YOUR WISH LIST!!

LIKE HIM OR NOT LISTEN TO WHAT RICHARD NIXION SAID IN 1986.

As Americans we have many great strengths, but one of our weaknesses is IMPATIENCE. The Russian think in terms of decades, the Chinese in terms of centuries. Americans think in terms of minutes, hours, days, and weeks… BUT IF OUR QUEST FOR REALISTIC LIFE LASTING GOALS, we need not expect OVERNIGHT SUCCESS --- searching for instant gratification --- WE ARE GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED!