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Patience Is Better Than Pride
 
The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. - Ecclesiastes 7:8-9
 
That sounds pretty radical. “Anger resides in the lap of fools.” What about when I have just cause to be angry – is that foolish? There are about three occasions that arouse anger in us. One is when someone we care about is being abused in some way. Another is when our belief system is being threatened. A third is when we feel that our person/pride is being threatened.
Most of our anger comes from the third category. Our pride, or ego, sees many opportunities to be angry: When we feel that we are being taken advantage of; when we feel that we are being neglected; when we feel others are disrespecting us in some way. Our pride, or ego, gives us many opportunities to be angry.
According to this passage in the Proverbs, “patience is better than pride.” What does that mean to us in everyday life? Simply that most of what makes us angry is foolishness and if we will just be patient most of these things will work themselves out. And besides that, if the issues don’t just work themselves out we are still better for not allowing them to cause an angry response.
Those who have gained wisdom through the process of trial and error tell us that thinking in terms of the big picture puts our own situation in perspective. What I mean by that is we often see circumstances through a short-sighted lens. We can only see how the situation immediately affects us and we don’t like what we see. When we can look at the big picture we can see that most of what concerns us fades in view of what is taking place on a larger scale.
When we see life through the big picture we respond in a way that affects a larger set of circumstances rather than in a way that justifies us for the moment.
 
Prayer: Lord, I don’t want to be seen as an angry fool. Grant me the wisdom to look beyond myself to a greater purpose. Give me the grace of patience that I will bring honor to you. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message: Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools
 
Affirmation: I know that the end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride, therefore I will not allow myself to be quickly provoked.
 
Reflection: Three causes of anger are listed in this devotion. Reflect on them and how you have responded in those situation. Of the three, do you agree that ego is the one which gives us the most trouble?

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                                  Unity of Spirit through bond of peace
 
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. - Ephesians 4:3
 
Among the characteristics of a peacemaker is humility. In fact, a person who is proud, or arrogant, cannot really be a peacemaker because they are most often concerned about how they appear and whether others are responding to them. A humble person is gentle, patient, and will bear with those who need special love and consideration.
Paul speaks of making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit. How does one do that? Paul’s answer is, “through the bond of peace.” Unity begins with a commitment to peace. The Greek word used in this passage is “sundesmos” and means “a joint tie.” It is sometimes translated “ligament.” Figurative it is a uniting principle. In this verse it would mean that we are attached to one another through peace in the same way that our joints are held together by ligaments.
There is only one way to be joined in this manner. That is to be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. The way we become completely humble is to become completely empty of ourselves. One word is translated “completely humble.” It is tapeinophrosunē  and it means, “a deep sense of one’s littleness; modesty, humility, lowliness of mind” (Thayers). The point being made is that being bound by peace involves considering others first.
I have counseled many people in relationships over the years and my counsel is always real simple. Act and react toward the other person according to their perceived needs not according to the way you think it ought to be. When two people do that they will have unity and they will live in peace.
That is a tall order, but that is exactly what being completely humble looks like and it is what it means to be bound to peace.
 
Prayer: Lord, help me to see others and their needs before I consider my own needs. Help me to be completely humble so that I’ll be united in peace with my brothers and sisters in the faith. Amen.
 
Message:  A spirit of unity is possible when we are bound together in peace. Literally, tied to one another as ligaments are tied to the bone.
 
Affirmation: I can bear with others who are as human as I because the love of God binds us together with a bond of peace.
 
Reflection: Can you explain how it is important for a peacemaker to be humble? What are some of the characteristics of humility in a peacemaker?

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​Love Your Enemies
 
Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
- Luke 6:35-36
 
I think this passage carries this love thing just a little bit too far. Love my enemies? How can they be my enemy if I love them? That is a real conundrum. Can a person really be my enemy if I love him?
That may be the point. Others may want to be my enemy, but we make it very difficult for them when we give them kindness instead of responding to their assaults and insults with the same as they give us.
We can all agree that it is very difficult, if not impossible to love those who treat us as enemies. It looks like that is another point Jesus is making. He is giving us a task that is impossible for us to perform in our own ability just to see if we will trust him to work his will through us.
I don't know about you, but I find it impossible to love my enemies. At least in my own abilities. So what is Jesus trying to tell us?
If it is impossible to do this in our natural self perhaps Jesus is trying to tell us that we must depend upon the supernatural nature of the Christ in us. If God is love, as it says in 1 John, and if God truly does live in us, then wouldn't it carry that our new nature, our God-nature, would also be love?
Maybe this whole "love your enemy" thing is a test to see if we are still living in our old nature or if we are living in our new nature. That is something to think about.
 
Prayer: Lord, all too often I find myself having less than loving affection for my enemies. Grant me the grace of full surrender to your nature so I can fulfill this command of Christ to love my enemies. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message:  Jesus is trying to tell us that we must depend upon the supernatural nature of the Christ in us in order to love our enemies. If God is love, as it says in 1 John, and if God truly does live in us, then wouldn't it carry that our new nature, our God-nature, would also be love? Maybe this whole "love your enemy" thing is a test to see if we are still living in our old nature or if we are living in our new nature.
 
Affirmation:   I do not have to try and love my enemies, I just have to submit to God’s love and he will love them through me.
 
Reflection:  Think of someone you have considered to be an enemy. What would it take to love them as Christ loves them? Here is a good idea: Think of what they should do to show you that they aren’t an enemy, then do that to them as if they weren’t your enemy.

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​                                                 Love Your Neighbor
 
“Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the law?” Jesus replied, “How do you read it?” He answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all you mind; and, love your neighbor as yourself” - Luke 10:25-27
 
“Good answer!” said Jesus. “Do it and you’ll live.”
Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”
Jesus answered by telling a story. “There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
“A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man’s condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, “Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill – I’ll pay you on my way back.’
“What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?”
“The one who treated him kindly,” the religion scholar responded.
Jesus said, “Go and do the same.”- (Luke 10:29-37 The Message Bible)
I guess that just about covers it.
 
Prayer: OK Lord, I confess. I am not always a good neighbor. There are times I have not responded with kindness to those in need. Forgive me for my selfishness and give me the grace to love my neighbor. In Jesus name, amen.
 
Message:  Who is our neighbor? Jesus defined our neighbor, according to the story of the good Samaritan, anyone who has a need with which we are able to help; even if that person is my sworn enemy. Notice: Jews and Samaritans considered themselves enemies and had nothing to do with each other. Jesus called them neighbors.
 
Affirmation:   Jesus pointed out that my neighbor is anyone I come across who has a need that I can answer, and I am to offer my assistance to them.
 
Reflection:  On how many levels should we see our enemy as our neighbor? The grumpy person next door? That person at work who is trying to get our job? What about those in politics we disagree with? And here is the big one: What about the country that considers us their enemy? Give this some careful thought.

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​                                                       Love The Lord Your God With All Your Heart
 
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all you heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
 - Deuteronomy 6:4-5
 
It was the tendency of people in the early days of Israel to worship many gods. They had gods for everything; rain, draught, livestock, love, and the list grew to hundreds. People today are not much different. In India the Hindu people have listed over 3 million gods. Why all the gods?
Religion is a complex thing. People adhere to a religion for two basic reasons; fear and hope. Some out of fear of loss, or fear of death. Others adhere to religion out of hope; hope for a future, hope for prosperity, etc. Both of those reasons inspire people to keep looking for something better and more affective in realizing their purposes for believing.
God was calling Israel to faith in himself as the almighty; the one who stands alone. The challenge Israel had was they had difficulty believing that one God could do it all, and they had doubts as to whether the one God would come through with the promised blessings.
Israel’s challenge is mirrored in society today. Religious people today have difficulty putting all of their eggs in one basket, so to speak. People tend to use religion to secure their place in heaven, and some use it for social and other benefits, but they trust other entities for the rest of their life. There is the government, career, insurance, and all the entities of our life that we trust. What we trust becomes our God. We should discover who we trust.
Just as Israel was commanded to love and trust God with all of their heart, soul and strength, so we are challenged in the same way today. Love him, there is no other god.
 
Prayer: Lord, in times of fearfulness I tend to trust my own resources rather than to trust you. Grant me the grace to love and trust you above all things, even my own abilities. Let my fear be in reverence of you and let my hope be inspired by your love. Amen.
 
Message:  God is calling followers of Christ to faith in himself as the almighty; the one who stands alone. The challenge we have is believing God will come through with the promised blessings. We are challenged, as Israel, to love and trust God with all our heart, soul and strength. Love him, there is no other god.
 
Affirmation:   I understand that there is just one God and I am fully committed to him. He is the Lord God Almighty, and he is manifest to mankind through Jesus, the Christ.
 
Reflection:  This devotion speaks of how ancient peoples tended to ascribe to various gods the responsibility for much of what they faced in life. Do people today have gods in their life which take the place of Almighty God? 

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Tough Love Is Holding Myself Accountable
 
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith. Grace be with you.
- 1 Timothy 6:20
 
Paul loved Timothy as a son. In fact he calls him his “son in the gospel.” As a father he is concerned that Timothy does well. Paul had given Timothy the great responsibility of leading the church at Ephesus, and being a concerned father, in one place he instructed Timothy to carefully watch his life so that those who are older do not despise his youth. In this passage Paul is teaching Timothy to hold himself accountable to the gifts of ministry and responsibility that he had been given.
We often think of tough love as the love which holds others accountable, but tough love begins with ourselves. Do we love the other in our life enough to commit ourselves to accountability? Are we willing to guard our thoughts and examine them often to see if we are developing patterns of thinking that will affect the way we treat others? Paul warns Timothy to turn away from godless chatter and faulty arguments.
The Message has a great way of presenting this passage; “And oh, my dear Timothy, guard the treasure you were given! Guard it with your life. Avoid the talk-show religion and the practiced confusion of the so-called experts. People caught up in a lot of talk can miss the whole point of faith.”
Hold yourself accountable in your words and your thoughts. That’s a job that only you can do.
 
Prayer: Lord, I like to argue the fine points that sometimes get to the place of splitting hairs over inconsequential issues. Forgive me of that and grant me the grace to focus only on the truly important issues of the faith. Amen.
 
Message:   Tough love begins with ourselves. Do we love the other in our life enough to commit ourselves to accountability? Are we willing to guard our thoughts and examine them often to see if we are developing patterns of thinking that will affect the way we treat others?
 
Affirmation:   I hold myself accountable to God and responsible spiritual leaders so that my thoughts and actions do not contradict what I speak.
 
Reflection:  Does God’s love truly move us to accountability? What do you think the Message meant by, “Avoid the talk-show religion?” Give some thought to some signs that you might be avoiding accountability.

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