“Do you still have hiccups?”
How would you handle this situation? A man stopped at a drug store, went in and asked for some hiccup medicine. The druggist reached across the counter and slapped him in the face as hard as he could. The startled man paused a few moments then repeated his request for hiccup medicine.
The surprised druggist asked, “Do you still have hiccups?”
“No,” the man replied, “I never did have the hiccups. My wife, out in the car, is the one with the hiccups.”
He certainly demonstrated patience!
Patience is a necessary quality for Christian workers. Think of the seed process in our gardens. We plant, we water…and, in time, the plant reaches maturity. But maturity occurs with the passage of time after much tender-loving care. Not a one-time investment but a continuing investment with the expectation that maturity will occur if the process is followed faithfully. We in Christian ministry have the advantage of knowing that our mighty God is at work throughout this process and that He is working to “give the increase.”
In the old days the evangelist rolled into town, made a one-time investment of an evangelistic week and souls were wonderfully born again into God’s kingdom. The evangelist gave these spiritual infants a bottle then left town! Who picked up the process from that point? People like us who lived in that town, who rubbed shoulders with the evangelist’s converts, who were there to guide them through the experience of Christian growth. WITHOUT US—YOU AND ME, THE PROCESS FAILS.
A. J. . Gordon urges us to remember, “The promises of God are certain, but they do not all mature in ninety days.” We must continually work the process of patiently providing guidance to the young Christians.
So don’t get discouraged but continually encourage yourself to trust in the Lord’s process. Ah, my friend, the rule is still true: Too often we overestimate what can be done in a short time but we underestimate what can be done in a long time. Just keep patiently sowing…in Jesus’ name!
Today’s Verse for a Better Ministry
2 Timothy 2:24
And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient,
Tom Swartzwelder was born again at the age of nine in an old-fashioned revival meeting. Tom received his B.A. from Tennessee Temple University and his M. Div from Luther Rice Seminary. He has pastored for nearly forty years in both bi-vocational and full-time roles. He provides practical how-to-do-ministry resources for the disciples of Jesus Christ. Tom’s latest book is “God Speaks–Today!”
0 Comments