STAND STILL...
"You can't be anxious and worship at the same time."

"Worship is having God as the core of our life. True worship entails all parts of our life."

My vision got sharpened today.  I don't know when I've heard a message devoted totally to the topic of Patience, especially when tied so closely in with our worship of God.  By the way, patience is a part of the Spirit fruit every Christian should produce. Tom Todd took it apart for us and knocked it off its pedestal of "that's great , but I just can't do it" and put it into mandatory terms-- stiff shoe leather to be walked in and broken out in the variables of daily life.

"Our culture sees impatience as a virtue." Hmm... yeah, maybe so. Speed is everything. I just purchased several books online that I hope to have arrive ASAP. Productivity and value are close friends in our North American culture. When is the last time I reveled in waiting? That the ticking clock didn't govern my actions like an army sentinel?

Being laid back to a fault is often viewed as a weakness, a defect. But who else identifies with the difficulty of being in possession of flawless patience? Isn't that the character quality that marks a seasoned champion? Our friends of Latin American countries may have a number up on us in this area. Well, maybe we shouldn't take siestas while the sun shines, but then again, maybe we should.

I like to think of myself as a patient person. I don't panic at every sudden malady, throw tantrums, or plan out my agenda two years in advance. But God revealed to me this morning how much I need to grow in this area.

Tom challenged us with the verse from Jeremiah. "STAND STILL....and see the salvation of the Lord."
But we want to have our finger in it too, so often. If we stand still, we can't get any of the credit. And we love to spout cliches about God only being able help those who help themselves, and He can't steer a parked car, etc. Well, maybe there is some merit to those ideas, but if patience was as deep seated in our lives as the lack thereof is at times, I wonder how we might be changed.

I wonder, if God's peace in our life metamorphosed into practical patience, would we be more pliable, easier to use, surrendered tools for whatever purpose He might have planned us for?