Thursday, August 22, 2013

Patience of God in us by the grace of God

Galatians 3:3
  • Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

We started this Christian life by beginning with the work of the Spirit, not by our own work of righteous deeds.

We were sinners by birth and choice, and God saved us and made us into saints by new birth and the Holy Spirit.

We are forever under the grace of God, and not left on our own to figure out how to navigate around this life with our own feeble wisdom and inadequate power.

We must remember,

James 1:17
  • Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 

2 Corinthians 12:9, 10
  • But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
  • For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

Personally, I don't like being weak, and I believe there'd be only a handful of people who may consider weakness as something desirable in oneself.

Yet, this is Jesus' testimony. When we are weak, then we are strong in Jesus because His grace is sufficient for us. His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.

Noah was ridiculed for building a ship in preparation for a worldwide flood. Abraham had to wait for many, many, many years for his first promised child, Isaac, and later had to undergo a trial of giving him up to God. David was chased around by Saul like Jerry is chased by Tom. Joseph was sold, and became a slave and got imprisoned later for attempted adultery he did not commit. Samson's eyes were gouged out and became a slave in a foreign land. Gideon was an ordinary boy. Jacob's thigh bone copped injury after a duel with God's messenger, and limped afterwards. Jeremiah was very sad, and even depressed, looking at the fate of his people, being taken away to a foreign land of Babylon. Job suffered a great deal.

But even in all these calamitous suffering and pain, God worked in their lives and through them, brought about deliverance and salvation and honoured them for their faith.

Noah was delivered with his family.

Abraham received Isaac back.

  • and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. (James 2:23)

David became the king of Israel.

  • After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; who will do all my will.’ (Acts 13:22)


Joseph became the prime minister of Egypt.

  • You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:40, 41)


The number of his enemies he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. (Judges 16:30)

Gideon defeated his enemies with 300. (Judges 7:7, 24, 25)

God restored the fortunes of Job. (Job 42:10, 12, 17)

  • The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
  • The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning
  • And Job died, an old man and full of days.

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