Devo Notes: Patience is a Virtue (Series: Embracing Life's Unkowns)

Feb 4 Mon- Luke 8

Feb 5 Tues- Isaiah 40

Feb 6 Wed - Psalm 27 and 37

Feb 7 Thr– Mt 7

Feb 8 Fri- Gal 5; 1 Cor 13

Feb 9 Sat – Luke 4

PRAYER:A - Adoration(prayer of centering; focus on God's goodness); C - Confession(prayer of repentance and asking for God's forgiveness); T - Thanksgiving(prayer of gratefulness, content, joy, avoiding pessimism); S - Supplication(prayer for others; then pray for yourself)

S - STOPand listen... give God some time to speak to you--- end with the LORD'S PRAYER

Where to begin: What's the state of your soul today? Who is going to heaven because of you?

A. Luke 4:1-12, The Temptations of Jesus: Our model for patience

Temptation 1: If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.

1. Why was this tempting? Didn't Jesus know he would eat bread again?

- Point: "Eating bread" was not the problem, rather it was:

A. the timing - this was NOT the proper time to be eating bread

B. the means - making "deals with the devil" never a good idea

Ex.: Improper purchases, Debt, Premarital Sex, Adultery, etc

Temptation 2: “Worship me, and all the kingdoms of the world will be yours"

1. Isn't Jesus already going to rule all the kingdoms of the world? Why tempting?

- Point: "Ruling the World" was not the problem, rather it was:

A. risk suffering - Jesus' Rule would only come through suffering

B. risk betrayals and loss - Jesus' rule requires relationships

Ex: No Pain No Gain, Exercise, School, Friendships, etc.

Temptation 3: The devil led Jesus to pinnacle of the temple; “Jump!”

1. Jump = "Quit" - Jesus would never quit on us, as we should never quit on Him

- Point: Impatience = "Quitting" VS. Gal 5:22, "fruit of the Spirit is patience"

1 Cor 13:4, "Love is patient" VS. "impatient love"?

B. What are the consequences of impatience? (feeling of being annoyed, irritated, and provoked by having to wait on someone or something)

1. If you rush/make the wrong decision, how could it hurt me? others? God?

2. I you make a decision because you are annoyed or irritated,is that smart?

3. Better = WAIT until you're not annoyed/irritated, and not being rushed/pushed

C. Lessons from Jesus on patience here?

1. short-term "rewards" never worth long-term price of instant gratification

- entire point of Jesus' earthly mission undermined if he yielded to Satan

2. long-term "benefits" worth every drop of energy put towards "waiting"

3. Patience = a choice/a decision; NOT a feeling (Jesus was very hungry)

D. Impatience = sin. Patience = a virtue. God expects patience, because without it, you fail to listen to Him (or others) and fall into many a temptation (bad decisions)

- Psalm 37:7; Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the Lord!"

- Is 40:31, "Those who wait on the Lord shall??? fill in the blank. What do you think?

E. Finally, patience requires FAITH; impatience does not. Which do you think God prefers in us? Luke 8:15, "Those in good soil, having waited with patience... grow."

G. Application: SLOW DOWN. Pray. Seek Discernment, consensus, and signs of God's hand. Seek God's will/voice, and you will make better choices, with less regret.