Friday, October 24, 2014
One of the things the Bible teaches is the possession of the Fruit of the Spirit; to be longsuffering. To be longsuffering is to be patient, to be able to endure, and to be contented. It is forbearance. It is closely tied with spiritual meekness: a virtue that removes self-pride, any presumptuousness, and to place others ahead of you. Servant leadership is one aspect of such a thing, but I digress. It also means to stand up and stand for God's Word.
I think such attitudes and characters are extremely tough to have, or even nurture. The world today prizes assertiveness and confidence to the point that recognition of any minute form of humility can be taken as a sign of weakness. It prizes the 'now', and that patience and waiting are unimportant commodities to have. With such influences buffeting us daily, it is of no surprise the traits of longsuffering and meekness are being shoved aside as 'not alpha', and 'weak', giving us increasing pressure to suppress such character traits even though we know it is the right and correct thing to behave and nurture in the sight of God.
I believe also that my character isn't one that is particularly beautiful. I am extremely impatient and want to see results quickly. If things don't go my way I quickly get frustrated and sometimes try to correct it immediately. In the natural and sinful me, longsuffering and patience is virtually absent. And thus I am writing this because the moment I begin to feel comfortable with my life, I quickly forget God's Word, and try to do this my way. Without His daily guidance, I would return to being an impatient, and harsh person with no tact, and wanting to bulldoze every thing my way. Without my prayer for patience and peace, and a prudent mind, and an attentive ear to listen more, listen actively, and listen with all my heart, and speak slowly, I'm just another arrogant and brash person who does not reflect any Godly behaviour in me.
I write this as a reminder to myself, and what I should daily strive and struggle towards, in becoming a better person. A man after God's own heart is an extremely tall order to achieve, and through today's reflection, I can finally get a glimpse of why God called King David as such. || posted by Kuan Hui
I think such attitudes and characters are extremely tough to have, or even nurture. The world today prizes assertiveness and confidence to the point that recognition of any minute form of humility can be taken as a sign of weakness. It prizes the 'now', and that patience and waiting are unimportant commodities to have. With such influences buffeting us daily, it is of no surprise the traits of longsuffering and meekness are being shoved aside as 'not alpha', and 'weak', giving us increasing pressure to suppress such character traits even though we know it is the right and correct thing to behave and nurture in the sight of God.
I believe also that my character isn't one that is particularly beautiful. I am extremely impatient and want to see results quickly. If things don't go my way I quickly get frustrated and sometimes try to correct it immediately. In the natural and sinful me, longsuffering and patience is virtually absent. And thus I am writing this because the moment I begin to feel comfortable with my life, I quickly forget God's Word, and try to do this my way. Without His daily guidance, I would return to being an impatient, and harsh person with no tact, and wanting to bulldoze every thing my way. Without my prayer for patience and peace, and a prudent mind, and an attentive ear to listen more, listen actively, and listen with all my heart, and speak slowly, I'm just another arrogant and brash person who does not reflect any Godly behaviour in me.
I write this as a reminder to myself, and what I should daily strive and struggle towards, in becoming a better person. A man after God's own heart is an extremely tall order to achieve, and through today's reflection, I can finally get a glimpse of why God called King David as such. || posted by Kuan Hui
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