"Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance." Titus 2:2
When I first gave my life to Christ I felt such a dramatic turn around within myself I kind of thought that if God continued to work as much as he did that first few years, that in about five or so he would have to take me home. I was young. I obviously didn't really get the depths at which God can work in our lives. I eventually realized that God had a lot to work on within me and following Christ was going to involve some patient endurance.
I attend a men's study on Wednesday mornings. A friend shared that a battle he was having was his marriage was in shambles. You know, there has been times when I felt the same way. We made it through, but it really was a struggle for a while even though I believe we were both trying to seek God. Patient endurance can only be learned by going through something that requires patient endurance. My only hope was that somehow God would reign where I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Eventually a light came into view. The only thing I could do was trust God and try to love my wife like Christ loved me, even though I apparently wasn't doing to that too well.
The bottom line is that Christ patiently deals with me with his enduring love. And I am to love others with that same patient endurance. Life will present us with opportunities, we just trust God and try to love others like Christ loves us.
Father, help us to keep our faith fixed on you. Open our eyes to see your love in our lives. Help us to love as you have loved us. Praise be to you in us today!
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