Establish Your Hearts.

James 5:8 “You also, be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

I find in this day and age, people aren’t as patient as they used to be.  They want things the day after they order them from a website.  They want their shows to be nicely wrapped up by the end of the episode.  They want a quick fix to their problems.  

People are offered a pill to solve their problem but does it? (Have you heard or read some of the side affects to some of these medications that can result in death?  They are often worse then the problem itself.)  And does it solve the problem or just mask the symptoms or issues? 

(Not much good to say about many of man's quick fixes as the mind goes to things like abortion and death at convenience.)

Patience is difficult.  It is also difficult in the most difficult of circumstances.  
 
When we don’t avail ourselves to God we don’t have patience.  When we think we should be the one in control, we don’t have patience. When things aren’t going the way we think they should go, what happens?  Many destructive and sad things happen when we try to control.  True in the bible and true now.

Do we really have control?

The word of God says that Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) gives us self-control/self-restraint.  He is given to those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  He is to help us from wandering into the busy unsafe highways of lust, fear, depression, anxiety, hopelessness, worry, frustration, and doubt.

He establishes our heart.  He feeds the heart of what it needs most. He prepares our heart.  He encourages our heart.  He gives our heart hope.  He gives our heart boldness and strength yet humility.  He gives our heart the ability live in the satisfying will of Himself… IF we just avail ourselves to Him.

  

The issue is… we as people of Adam and Eve are accustomed to availing ourselves to us and our understanding, not to Him/God.  God says not to depend on our own understanding because often it leads to harm and hurt to us and others.

We each have been given a will and it is our choice to trust God or not.  God’s word says he has put a measure of faith of Himself in each one of us to see and know He exists.  God knows what is going on in our hearts and what is happening in our days.  Like flipping the pages of a small book with his fingers, He has seen our so brief life.  He also knows our eternity and our choice to trust in His Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior or not.

The baby that was born of a virgin on Christmas morning will be returning as King for those who have surrendered their heart to Him (Jesus Christ).  Some have and will scoff at this and the bible speaks of people who will scoff at this.  BUT what matters more then the temporary scoffing, which will mean nothing in the complexity of eternity, is that our heart is established for His coming?

 

If this truth doesn’t warm our heart but unsettles our heart think why?

If our heart is unsettled maybe a reason is because we haven’t surrendered or completely surrendered our heart to Jesus (the reason for Christ-mas) who lives and establishes our heart with this comforting reality that He is coming back for us.

Our relationship with God is suppose to be daily- (for me it needs to be an hourly thing… I need it.)  But in journaling, reading His word, listening and conversing with Him, God settles and confirms our heart.  As we avail ourselves to Him, God avails Himself to us.  

True. This takes time. Time not to be filled with just ourselves and our own schedule but time with God.  For we must remember this time in which we live is all we got.  There is no more and we really don't know how much we do have.  But time with God is worth every little bit to our soul.  And I am a bit amazed when He expands on what was previously thought already expanded upon.  And how what was so dry and crusty before can become a refreshing piece of food for my soul.    

 For the Word of God says, “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”

This experience we call “life” (this type of school, this type children’s camp, this type of hotel or boot camp) will soon be over, as we know it.  Jesus will be loading up the “spiritual buses” and taking us home… a home He has created for those who have trusted and believed in Him.

Some of you know this but let the "knowing"… remain in the living knowing of the heart not just the mind -for what comes out of the heart will also come out of our words and actions.  Amen.

Again, in love… “You also, be patient.  Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”