Highland Lakes church of Christ

In modern times we often want to think that science has all the answers, that they have figured everything out.  Science is making great strides in our understanding of the world around us and we think we are getting to know and understand our world in ways that ancient people never could have. One of the things that you may have learned about in school as a child is the water cycle (hydrologic cycle). There is a mystery that scientists were trying to figure out for thousands of years. Where did the water in the rivers all come from, and why didn’t the ocean’s water level constantly rise?

In the 1600s, two Frenchmen, Pierre Perrault and Edmé Mariotte, showed that there was enough water from evaporation and rain to explain how water reached the land and then flowed back to the sea. Finally, these scientists came up with a theory that seemed to explain where the water that flowed down the rivers and into the sea came from. However, thousands of years before this God was sharing this information with the Jewish people and we find hints of this in the Bible.

The book of Ecclesiastes hints at the fact that the water that comes down the river will return back to the beginning or the source of the river again. “The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again” (Ecclesiastes 1:6-7).

The Bible makes it clear that the water that comes down as rain is from evaporation. The prophet Amos writing over 2800 years ago wrote, “The One who builds His upper chambers in the heavens and has founded His vaulted dome over the earth, He Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, The Lord is His name” (Amos 9:6).

The book of Job does an even better job of painting a picture of the water cycle describing the evaporation and distilling of water into clouds that rain down on the streams. “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind” (Job 36:27-28). The Bible continues to show us how wonderful our creator really is. We have so much to learn and the Bible can continue to teach us.

Brad Tolbert, Monticello church of Christ Monticello, AR

How many times in your life have you felt or expressed your frustration that life is not fair? Probably every parent has heard these words groaned with varying degrees of grief from their children. God has heard these words many, many times, even from adults. Usually these are the words of pain or sorrow or sickness or jealousy or even fear. We see the good fortune of others and feel somehow that we have been deprived of what we deserve!

The scriptures record many heartaches in the lives of men and women. Jacob’s beloved Rachel died in childbirth (Gen. 35:19). Joseph was hated by his family, sold into slavery by his brothers (Gen. 37), and wrongly imprisoned in a foreign land (Gen. 39). David’s own son rose up against him to take his life and kingdom (2 Sam. 15). Job experienced financial ruin, the death of his ten grown children and great physical disease (Job 1,2). No, life is not fair. But amazingly, most of us are usually pretty happy with that state of affairs. We are not blind, or slaves, or living in a country where mud huts are the most common form of housing. We have luxury in food and clothing and health care that is the envy of the world. We travel across the country and around the world with speed and comfort. We have the freedom to choose where we would like to live, where we would like to go and what we would like to do. Hardly any nation or people over the entire course of human history lived as comfortably as we do today! Why should we be so blessed when so many others suffer so much? No! Life is not fair! Our beautiful houses are air conditioned and heated. We have more food than we can eat. We have more clothes than we can wear. We meet with hundreds of Christians each week and sit comfortably on cushioned pews in beautiful buildings to worship God, and still gripe! And yet not once will it even come into our minds to complain to God that it’s unfair that we have been blessed far greater than most of the people who have ever lived upon the face of the planet earth since creation! Buckets of blessings continue to pour down on us. Many of us are living very comfortable lives in retirement without doing any work at all! Such is unheard of in the history of mankind. The rest of us have jobs whereby we are able to afford many of life’s pleasures. We don’t deserve them. We are no better than those who have gone before us. Men and women died for our blessings; pilgrims, settlers, soldiers, parents, pioneers. Yet the lives we live are so easy by comparison. No, life is not fair. So please, try not to complain so loudly…with money in the bank, closets full of clothes and mouths full of food. It makes us look ridiculous

Tim Orbison, Maysville church of Christ, Gurley, AL

For ages, people have wondered what was on the ocean floor. On August 15, 1934, Otis Barton and William Beebe came closer than ever before. On that day, they descended to a depth of 3,028 feet into the dark ocean, a record that remained unbroken for 15 years.

The way they achieved this was through a spherical deep-sea submersible called a bathysphere. This submersible was made from very thick cast steel. The most amazing part of this journey was when they went down and turned on the lights. What did they see? Fish! These fish were just roaming around as free and careless as ever. How could the fish do this? They simply compensate for the pressure outside by having equal pressure on the inside. These fish did not need thick cast steel to swim around; they were just made that way by God.

In our world, there is an unfair amount of pressure on people. This pressure comes in all forms from almost every angle. Sometimes the pressure of this life is truly enough to break someone. So, how can we handle such pressure? The answer is not to become thick-skinned. It’s not to become cold and unfeeling. The way to handle the pressure of this life is to compensate with the right power on the inside.

Many great figures in Scripture understood this so very well. David said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).

The Lord often reassured people as well during times of great pressure. Notice what he told Isaiah, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Whatever pressures we are facing, know that, as Christians, the power in us is greater than any pressure of life. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Brett Petrillo, Bear Valley church of Christ, Denver, CO

Most of us recognize that patience is one of the cardinal Christian virtues—we’re just in no hurry to obtain it. Others just define patience as a delay in getting what we want. As Margaret Thatcher once famously remarked: “I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.” In today’s fast-paced society and self-centered culture, patience is quickly disappearing, even among Christians.

Patience is not optional for the Christian. The apostle Paul repeatedly commanded Christians to demonstrate patience to each other. In fact, this is a critical test of Christian authenticity. True Christian character, the very evidence of regeneration, is seen in authentic patience.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul instructed the Ephesian Christians to “…. live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1–3).

In a similar context, the apostle called the Christians in Colossae to “clothes yourselves” with the virtues of “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” (Col. 3:12). Again, Paul illustrates the necessity of patience by pointing to conflict in the Christian community. According to Paul, if one Christian has a complaint against another, he is to respond with patience, willing to suffer loss rather than to injure the reputation of the church.

To the Thessalonian Christians, Paul’s instruction was absolutely clear: “Live in peace with each other” (1 Thess. 5:13). In order to achieve this peace, Paul instructed the Thessalonians to “be patient with everyone” (1 Thess. 5:14). That is no small challenge.

Most importantly, patience must mark the Christian leader. Writing to Timothy, his young protégé in ministry, Paul set the example: “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him, he must gently instruct…..” (2 Tim. 2:24–25).

The Bible’s understanding of patience as a Christian virtue is rooted in the totality of Christian truth. Patience begins with the affirmation that God is sovereign and in control of human history, working in human lives. With eternity on the horizon, time takes on an entirely new significance. The Christian understands that full satisfaction will never be achieved in this life, but he/she looks to the consummation of all things in the age to come. Furthermore, we know that our perfection will be incomplete in this life, and thus Christians must look to each other as fellow sinners saved by grace, in whom the Holy Spirit is at work calling us unto Christlikeness.

When we consider the scriptural command to be patient with one another, we should be reminded of several aspects of patience revealed in God’s Word that are vital for Christian understanding. First, we must understand that patience is both a command and a gift of God. As with all Christian virtues, we are obligated under the command of God to demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, of which patience is a vital part. The biblical portrait of patience is not that of mere acquiescence or of flippant biding the time, much less is patience seen in inexcusable action. To the contrary, patience is a vibrant and virile Christian virtue, which is deeply rooted in the Christian’s absolute confidence in the sovereignty of God and in God’s promise to bring all things to completion in a way that most fully demonstrates His glory.

As a command, patience arrives at the Christian conscience as a matter of accountability. At the same time, patience is a divine gift. Christians are not able, in and of themselves, to demonstrate true patience as a fruit of the Spirit. Augustine, the great bishop of the fourth century, warned that Christians must avoid the “false patience of the proud.” Augustine castigated those who attribute patience merely “to the strength of the human will.” We must indeed „will‟ to be patient, but patience as a genuine virtue comes only to those who have been redeemed by Christ and in whom the Holy Spirit is calling forth the fruit of the Spirit.

Second, the Christian virtue of patience is rooted in our knowledge of ourselves as redeemed sinners. Knowing our own frailty, and all too aware of our own faults, we must deal with other Christians out of humility rather than pride. The Christian has no excuse for responding to fellow believers in a spirit of arrogance, haughtiness, or superiority. Instead, we are to be instructed by the example of Christ, and respond in true humility both to God and to fellow Christians.

Patience presents the Christian with a critical test of character, rooted in the simple acknowledgement that we might be wrong. Our error may be in character rather than in conviction. When Christians engage in disputes, it is possible to be wrong while being right. That is a good reminder, even as we must contend for the faith once-for-all delivered to the saints.

Third, the Christian understanding of patience is grounded in our understanding of others as those in whom God is potentially at work. As Paul instructed Timothy, the Lord’s servant is to be kind to everyone, demonstrating patience even in correcting opponents, because “….in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:25–26).

This remarkably strong language indicates that Paul is talking about serious matters of Christian disagreement. When he speaks of correcting those who have been captured by the devil to do his will, we can be assured that Paul is speaking of very serious matters indeed.

Paul grounds the virtue of patience in the clear affirmation that God may be at work in those with whom we are experiencing disagreement and conflict. Here again, the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit (2 Thess. 2:13-14) helps us to understand that growth into Christian maturity. This comes as a process, through which God forms a redeemed sinner into the image of Christ.

With this in mind, we must respond to fellow believers as those who, like ourselves, are sinners saved by grace. Thus, we must show grace to one another, and the integrity of our Christian professions must be demonstrated by true patience. Even as we seek to convince, to instruct, and even to correct, we must remember that only God can reach the human heart, and we must maintain the confidence that God is at work in those who are fellow partakers of His grace.

Fourth, the Christian virtue of patience is rooted in our understanding of time and eternity. We do not expect to achieve our greatest satisfactions (or maturity) in this life. Relating to our fellow believers, we know that they, like ourselves, will experience full sanctification and glorification only in the age to come. As John Calvin remarked, immortality is “the mother of patience.” This is a good and healthy reminder, for even as Christians are called to a common embrace of all truth, we understand that we will achieve full unity only when Christ claims His Church and we are gathered before the throne of God throughout eternity.

Patience must be one of the hallmarks of the Christian home, as each member of the family shows patience in dealing with others. Husbands and wives must be patient with each other, even as parents must be patient with children. In the household of faith, patience, often that rarest of virtues, becomes a test of authenticity and a necessity for the right ordering of the home, the church, and Christian fellowship. ~ Dr. Albert Mohler, Professor of Theology