False Beliefs Diminish Trust

Who appreciates waiting indefinitely for something to happen? Most of us want instant gratification, and when it doesn’t happen, we become impatient, determined to push for what we need or want. Jacob seemed to be a man short on patience, unwilling to wait for God’s timing to get what he thought he deserved.

Jacob was self-centered and above considering other people’s needs and feelings. He believed in getting what he wanted by hook or crook and avoiding the consequences for his reckless behavior. Accepting a power greater than his own was only for convenience. It would take a life-changing crisis for him to build a bridge of confidence required for making changes.

False beliefs set him up to take unnecessary risks. He refused to consider the suffering he brought on others or what he would experience for his own lack of patience. God helps us gain patience so we can see how effective He is at working for our best good. He encourages us to be still and see that he is the Lord God. 

Whether Ordinary or Extraordinary, Choose God - Part 2

In the little Texas town where I grew up, life was basically ordinary and predictable. The pastor of our small Baptist church was also the town's plumber and electrician. As busy as he was, he was available, night or day, when anyone in this little community of six hundred needed him, regardless of church affiliation.

A thirty-something professional business woman lamented how dull, boring, and ordinary her life had become. She was at the point of becoming bitter because the limitations of her life were so confining and disappointing. Perhaps in subtle and not-so-subtle ways she came to expect not only instant gratification, but constant gratification.

Jesus observed in Matthew 19:24 that it’s “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus may have said this because it takes simple, ordinary faith to find meaning and purpose in the ordinary life God provides. Yet there is constant gratification in knowing you're secure in simple, ordinary faith.