Hear this admonishment from 2 Thessalonians 3:5, "Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ." God has provided and demonstrated His infinite love for us, and then even directs our hearts to receive and cherish His affection, but we still have the free will to choose. We can accept it or reject it. By accepting His infinite love, the power is released to transform us by overcoming all our other thoughts and fears.
The second part of that challenge, "the patience of Christ," reminds us how He faithfully waits for us to come to the end of ourselves and turn to Him. Jesus explained this truth as the father in the prodigal son parable who waited and watched for the wayward son to return. Love is patient. When the love of God controls us, we have that power to sow our words and actions and to wait for the precious fruit to grow. Do not be weary in well doing for in due time we shall surely reap.
God has ways of reminding us that He loves us just for who we are and is pleased with every little thing we do to share His love with others. Last night we had the opportunity to join several hundred people celebrate God's work of bringing the Gospel to over 200 million people through Every Home Crusade. Most of us weren't on the front lines, just merely small supporters of the ministry. Yet God's presence assured us that each one was a part of what He is doing to reach the world and let "every knee bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Sometimes we forget that in spite of our daily troubles and human weaknesses, God still uses us to accomplish His purposes.
My word today for you is to take a moment just to stop and let His love and presence fill your heart. Then patiently choose to do the things and meet the needs He allows you to see. Even the proverbial "glass of water to a small child" shall have eternal rewards. As Psalm 58 concludes, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely He is God who judges in the earth."
We pray that you don't lose heart in your present struggles but continue to pray and do what is in your power to share this all-important Gospel of Jesus' love for every person on earth. God has provided His love, we choose to receive it and let it control us. May God plant this fervent desire to spread the love and truth of Jesus into the hearts of each one of us and give us opportunity to speak and to be His light in the darkness.
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