Isaiah 56 : "9Come, all you beasts of the field, come and devour, all you beasts of the forest!"
Can you imagine a cow attacking a tiger? Well, then how about a sheep feasting on a bear? Or a pig about to eat a mountain lion? Of course not...however, in the Kingdom of God this is exactly how things are done. Metaphors and Opposites, and more.....all to give us clear pictures of God and how He does things!
Isaiah 55:8“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."
When God says His thoughts and ways are as high as the heavens are from the earth, He means it! Therefore, they are so much higher than we can even imagine! Yes?
When we think of the heavens, we think of the night sky that are filled with twinkly stars...but no, the heavens are way past what we can see. Therefore, the contrast here is immeasurable.
God is light...and He has no dimmer switch! He lives in "unapproachable light"(1 Tim. 6:16). In the following section of Exodus, God allows Moses to see just the back of Him after He passes by...because He is just too bright to look at - to the point where Moses would die.
So, think about the sun, it is millions of miles away, yet if we look at it for too long we can go blind. This gives us a perfect picture of God's brilliance...a brightness that darkness can not even look at, let alone be anywhere near! So, if we think we can willingly partake of the things that reside in darkness (as in Gal. 5: 19-21) and it would be OK with God...then we don't understand Him, His word or how different His ways are!
Meaning, if we do willingly partake, then in due time we'll be lovingly disciplined unless we decide to judge ourselves and do an about face in the opposite direction ~ and give our attentions back to God. 1 Cor. 11:31"If we were
judging ourselves correctly, we would not be judged. 32But when the
Lord judges us, he disciplines us so that we won't be condemned along with the
rest of the world."
Exodus 33: 17 "The LORD answered
Moses, 'I will do what you have asked, because I am pleased with you, and I know
you by name.' 18Then Moses said,
'Please let me see your glory." 19The LORD said, 'I
will let all my goodness pass in front of you, and there I will call out my name
'the LORD.' I will be kind to anyone I want to. I will be merciful to anyone I
want to.
20But you can't see my
face, because no one may see me and live." 21Then the LORD said,
'Look, there's a place near me. Stand by this rocky cliff. 22When my glory passes
by, I will put you in a crevice in the cliff and cover you with my hand until I
have passed by. 23Then I will take my
hand away, and you'll see my back, but my face must not be seen."
Something I find so wonderful about God, and what I read in His written word...and see in His Son Jesus, is that when He says something, anything...it is heavy with meaning. His words are weighty. He is thrifty and therefore packs a lot of meaning into each word. Weighty to the point where He clearly wants us to understand the reasons He makes these contrasts about Himself!
OK, so, what are the reasons? For one, that He is nothing like the human-fallen nature, and thinks nothing like our human nature thinks. In fact He is the opposite. Therefore, if the world is going south, then He is going north, for no better way to put it.
Take any given set of verses...and you will most likely see some of these contrasts and words heavy with meaning that God has made about Himself and His ways. The following section of scripture in 1 Timothy verse 11, there are many such verses in scripture like this one instructing us to 'flee from', or 'lay aside', or 'make no provision for', or 'turn from', and 'die to'...the ways of sin and the flesh.
Victory comes when things are done God's way. Man's way (and the reason we could not successfully keep the law) of dealing with sin is to set our minds on working hard at trying not to sin...but because of the weak human nature we have to try very hard over and over and over again to get even a little success! But then the law said that even one sin is too many! So, it is a hamsters wheel going no where!!
But our human nature still wants to give a lot of our attention to the sin we are struggling with....urgh!...to think and talk about it, muse over it, then try to discipline ourselves not to do it, then memorize scriptures pertaining to it, then pray and agonize over it and remind ourselves that it is sinning against God to do it, and it grieves Him to do it...and then on and on and on it goes.
But, as usual, God's way is opposed to human nature's way...typically the direct opposite! God's way is to put it to death! Not talk about it over and over again! No, but giving the sin NO attention, and instead giving your full attention to the things of God whereby starving the sinful nature! Gal. 5: 16 "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
desires of the sinful nature."
The following verse in Romans is a good example. Romans 13:14 "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
It says to make no provision for the flesh's survival...so, I turn from it and give the sin none of my attention...I starve it! OK! Good! But now what do I do?? "Put on' the Lord Jesus! Yes, put Him on! Think about His great love, Talk about Him, talk to Him, serve Him, imitate Him, rest in Him, think about Him, enjoy Him, learn from Him, think about the things that come from Him, talk to others about Him...and love others as unto Him! The following verse is telling us to give these things our full attention (instead of giving it to sin).
Phil. 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things."
Can you name some other things of God to give your full attention to? How about what comes from the Holy Spirit?
Gal. 5: 22But the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong
to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh (given no attention to the flesh - starved it!) with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by
the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit (given full attention to the fruits of the Spirit!).
1 Tim. 6: "11But you, man of
God, (give no attention to)flee from all, and (give all your attention to)pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,
endurance and gentleness. 12*Fight the good
fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when
you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
When God tells you and I not to do something, He is telling us to not give those things ANY of our attention ~~ then to turn and give your full attention to those things He wants you to do! Yes!? THIS is the primary way we deal with sin now, by not dealing with it! Please consider keeping this in mind when reading scripture. :)
17Command those who
are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in
wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides
us with everything for our enjoyment.
18Command them to do
good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they
will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so
that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."
I would encourage you to keep these things in mind when reading and deciphering scripture...so you will "take hold of the life that is truly life."
*Fighting the good fight is still not paying any attention to sin....but to God - because we are fighting a spiritual warfare, where all our attention is still on the things of God.
Do you overeat on a regular basis? Do you have a tendency to talk about other's oddities or faults? Then according to many Christians today you are a glutton or a gossip. Not a fallen person JUST like they are. No. You are the sin you do! Your besetting sin defines you.
But this is what we do, don't we? The homosexual is nothing else but a homosexual. Have we have put a big scarlet letter on them so everyone knows that they are seperate from others? That some sinners are less sinful then others? So, I wonder; does this make us feel more spiritual or something? Because one thing it does do...is it lessens the power of God's grace and wisdom ~ as it says that God is not capable of redeeming some people as much as others.
Please take a moment and read the following short article by J.S. Park~
When God saves someone...they are saved. They are not halfway saved...no, completely saved! It would take very specific and rare circumstances for someone to lose their salvation! Yes, rare. God invested so much into our salvation...so do you think He would change His mind or let someone go so easily?? NO! We get shaken by happenstance, He does not. We change our mind on a whim, He does not. His mercies are new every morning...and this was spoken even before the New Covenant!
Rom. 8: 1 Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 Cor. 3:9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious,
how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God!
Romans 3:21 But now
a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify.
2 Corinthians
5:21 God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we
might become the righteousness of God.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
New converts-
Some people however will either come forward at an alter call or pray a prayer to be saved under very emotional circumstances, and not truly receive Christ...not unlike someone who would say almost anything under feelings of compulsion or hopelessness. So, in the following verses, when he was giving instructions about choosing Overseers, this is what he had in mind concerning new converts.
As God knows if someone has truly accepted Him, but we do not, so it is important for us to take these precautions. Then the scriptures after that is the parable Jesus told about the same issue....that there will be some that have not received Christ even though they appeared to have done so at the beginning.
This is my personal belief -- since I believe God meets us where we are, I also think some people are still teetering when they pray...meaning they are still in the process of being saved...and any slight wind can cause them to be swept away.
1 Tim.3:6Must not be a new convert, so that he will not
become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7And he must have a good reputation with those
outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare
of the devil.
Luke 8:4While a large crowd was
gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this
parable: 5“A farmer went out to sow
his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was
trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.
6Some fell on rock, and
when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7Other
seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
8Still other seed fell on
good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was
sown.”
11“This is the meaning of
the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12Those along the path
are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from
their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13Those
on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but
they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they
fall away.
14The seed that fell
among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are
choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.
15But the seed on good
soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it,
and by persevering produce a crop.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The one unforgivable sin-
Luke 12:8"I tell you, everyone
who confesses me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the
angels of God; 9but he who denies me in
the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God.
10Everyone who speaks a
word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against
the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11When they bring you
before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don't be anxious how or
what you will answer, or what you will say; 12for the Holy Spirit
will teach you in that same hour what you must say."
Against - eis (a preposition) – properly,
into (unto) – literally, "motion into which" implying
penetration ("unto," "union") to a particular purpose or
result.
God in the flesh died for us and therefore paid an extremely heavy price...therefore He does not take it lightly when His Holy Spirit makes His home inside our heart and life. It would be compared to setting something priceless and sacred inside the finest gold...therefore a union He never, ever planned would ever be touched or removed!! Can you picture it?!
We can get mad at God and even allow our human nature to run at the mouth or have temper tantrums! However, blaspheming against the Holy Spirit is very different...it is essentially tampering with that one union that God deems as the most sacred....because it is that one thing...the union between God and man...that He died for!! It is deliberately takingaction against the Holy Spirit...like, trying to extract something highly sacred and priceless from pure and fine gold -- and in so doing causing irrepairable damage.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
We are saved, and God is faithful to keep us that way. If we ever get even close (which is still far) to being close to the edge of losing our salvation...God is more than faithful then too.
1 Cor. 11:32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being
disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Hebrews 12:7
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not
disciplined by his father?
We live in a fallen world. We all fall. Most of the focus, whether over the pulpit, or on Christian radio, or in our own heads...is our favorite subject - sin, and in all the different ways we do it.
However, have you thought about it -- that when you sin, it probably is not against an inanimate object? Moreover, does your sin only affect you?
We are all at some stage of trying, or better said desiring, not to sin against God. Yet, sinning against God Himself is impossible - He's God. When we sin against someone we take at least a little piece of them and damage it. However, God cannot be damaged...as He is not human like us. What I am getting at is that when we sin against one another is how we sin against God. Job was faced with the fact too in Job 35:1-8, that God Himself is not affected by sin the way we are. Anyway...
Recently, I have felt the pain that comes with being sinned against...and it did cause me to stumble. I fell down. It affected my attitudes and my outlook on everything. Their sin caused me to sin. We are not God - we are affected by other's behaviors.
Romans 14: "12Yes, each of us will
give a personal account to God. 13So let’s stop
condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not
cause another believer to stumble and fall." Please read this whole chapter here : http://nlt.scripturetext.com/romans/14.htm
1 Cor. 10:23“I have the
right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the
right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. 24No one should
seek their own good, but the good of others. 31So whether
you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause
anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even as I try
to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good
of many, so that they may be saved."
So, how do we, "live in such a way"? (up in vs 13) We make it so hard...but Jesus said that living for Him is easy and light. Think about, inside yourself, how you would like to be treated. If you like being roughed up...then this is obviously not what Christ was saying! However, in the definition of love in 1 Cor. 13 there are the ways of love we would all like to be treated with. Ya know - some kindness and a lil' patience, instead of storming ahead so you get to be the first in line!
Also, if we have our mind set on the things of God throughout the day...then this helps a whole lot too with our own attitudes that can cause us to sin against others. Romans 8: 6" For to be carnally minded is death; but to be
spiritually minded is life and peace." ~ and~ Phil. 4:7 "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things."
*The above yellow caution sign was gotten off the internet, with no intentional copy-right infringement. Please let me know if this is yours and I will remove it.
An atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'
'Yes sir,' the student says.
'So you believe in God?'
'Absolutely. '
'Is God good?'
'Sure! God's good.'
'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'
'Yes'
'Are you good or evil?'
'The Bible says I'm evil.'
The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible! He considers for a moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'
'Yes sir, I would.'
'So you're good...!'
'I wouldn't say that.'
'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that one?'
The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'
'Er..yes,' the student says.
'Is Satan good?'
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'
'Then where does Satan come from?'
The student falters. 'From God'
'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'
'Yes, sir..'
'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'
'Yes'
'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'
Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'
The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'
'So who created them?'
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized. 'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'
The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'
'No sir. I've never seen Him.'
'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'
'No, sir, I have not..'
'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'
'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'
'Yet you still believe in him?'
'Yes'
'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?'
'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'
'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'
The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat? '
' Yes.
'And is there such a thing as cold?'
'Yes, son, there's cold too.'
'No sir, there isn't.'
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly become s very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that.
There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy.
Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'
Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.
'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'
'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'
'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'
1 John 1: 5 'This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in Him at all'. In darkness there is (in Gal. 5:20) 'the worship of idols, witchcraft, anger of man,
hateds, contention, rivalry, rage, insolence, man instigated conflict, divisions and quarrels'.
The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'
'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'
The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'
'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'
'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.' 'Now tell me, professor.. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'
'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'
'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.
'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'
The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter.
'Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?'
Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.'
'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?'
Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil.'
To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when there is no light.'
The professor sat down.
The student was Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs. Science in 1921.
Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted. (Law -vs- Law of Love) Albert Einstein
We can possess better patience when we realize that most people are doing the best they can, especially when we consider all the factors that have made them who they are. Then even if they could do better, you probably can't force that to happen, and why would you want to?
For instance, your one year old is crawling and maybe even beginning to walk. She has the innate desire to explore and so she touches everything that is on her level. No matter if it could possibly hurt her, she will touch it anyway.
This is but one of a mixture of reasons she does this…and one does not need to go to college to know what they are. She is not only driven by her age, but she is also driven by her inborn temperament and personality…but with no practical knowledge to temper her exploration. Grasping this understanding makes it easier to have patience with her. However, sometimes we still get agitated and impatient until we practice keeping these very important facts in mind...that essentially, she is doing the best she can.
Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
Proverbs 2:2 Tune your ears to
wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
Take a minute and think about the natural world around us. God's creation is another place to gain great insight as well. Look at a kangaroo for instance when you take your children to the zoo. Can it walk? No, at least not in the conventional sense. Kangaroos hop. Their legs cannot move independently of one another, so expecting kangaroos to walk or run like you and I would be ludicrous.
This gives a zoo keeper, for instance, all the patience in the world when trying to lead them from one place to another. He knows that this animal has fixed limits that cannot change, so getting impatient would be a waste of time and energy. Therefore, having this very basic knowledge gives him something very valuable and attainable - patience. This in turn leads to a more enjoyable experience as he works with these unique creatures.
God commands that we love...and patience is the first ingredient. (See 1 Cor. 13:4) Being patient with others shows them Christ...and it comes much easier with the understanding that most people are doing the best they can with what they have. ~
In fact this is why God is able to have such patience with us...and why He wanted us to taste, but not permanently stay trying to live up to the law -- because the law had zero patience...whereas Christ has immeasurable patience! Likewise why He wants us to emulate Christ so we can better obey His command to treat others as we would want others to treat us.
God understands that we are doing the best we can with what we have, this is why He has such patience with us ~
Psalm 103: 14 For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only
dust.
Romans 7: 8 I know that nothing
good lives in me; that is, nothing good lives in my corrupt nature. Although I
have the desire to do what is right, I don't do it. 19I don't do the good I
want to do. Instead, I do the evil that I don't want to do. 20Now,
when I do what I don't want to do, I am no longer the one who is doing it. Sin
that lives in me is doing it.
21So I've discovered
this truth: Evil is present with me even when I want to do what God's standards
say is good. 22I take pleasure in
God's standards in my inner being.
23However, I see a
different standard [at work] throughout my body. It is at war with the standards
my mind sets and tries to take me captive to sin's standards which still exist
throughout my body. 24What a miserable
person I am! Who will rescue me from my dying body? 25I thank God that our
Lord Jesus Christ rescues me! So I am obedient to God's standards with my mind,
but I am obedient to sin's standards with my corrupt nature.
Romans 9: 22 If
God wants to demonstrate his anger and reveal his power, he can do it. But can't
he be extremely patient with people who are objects of his anger because they
are headed for destruction? 23Can't God also reveal
the riches of his glory to people who are objects of his mercy and who he had
already prepared for glory? 24This is what God did
for us whom he called-whether we are Jews or not.
God wants us to be patient not only based on His command to do so, but also based on our understanding that most people are doing the best they can ~ as well as the understanding that when we are showing impatience it is usually because there is some demand we've made of another that was not met...meaning that they really had no choice as far as you were concerned. So impatience is many times brought on because we are only thinking of our own wants, as well as expecting that others should be and act like us...and not treating others in the same way we would want to be treated.
1 Cor. 9:22 When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some.
Romans 15:1 We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.
Romans 14:1 Welcome people who are weak in faith (patience), but don't get into an argument over differences of opinion. (impatience)
