From Ordinary to ExtraordinarySample

Growing in Patience

You can board a plane and land on the other side of the world in a day. That journey used to take a lifetime for a select few if it ever happened at all. Or you can hop on the Internet and learn just about anything in a matter of minutes. This access to information is unprecedented. You can even order an item from a store online and have it delivered to your doorstep just hours later! However, this speed comes at a price: impatience.

This is a problem because patience is almost always a requirement for God’s plans for the world, His people, and our individual purposes. You may have heard one of the most well-known Scriptures on God’s plans for us, Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

David was anointed king yet waited fifteen years and suffered many hardships before he wore the crown.

In today’s guiding verse, James helps us understand that God’s plans require patience. Things virtually never happen overnight. God’s work in and through us is more "slow cooker" than "microwave"! However, patience produces inner strength. Faith doesn’t always immediately deliver us—but always carries us through.

Trees produce fruit in seasons, not in seconds. Our lives in Christ work the same way. How can you make the best of where you are right now? Can you enjoy the current season you are in regardless of what you are waiting for?

As you engage with God’s Word, consider:

● What is God saying to me?

● How can I apply what God is teaching me?

● How can I be specific in prayer today?