TUESDAY: DEVELOPING PATIENCE

Oct 25, 2022
2 min read

Lord, I’m a little impatient today. Please comfort my heart and fill me with Your patience, so I endure and persevere through this day.

Ecclesiastes 7:5-9

It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.

Extortion turns a wise person into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart. The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

Like many, I don’t like to be rebuked. However, if someone I trust, respect, and consider wise tells me I should be doing something differently, I will listen. When I’m not sure what course I should take, then I get into the most trouble.

This trouble arises because I start listening to what everyone has to say. If many worldly people tell me similar things, I will hear their voices loudest. They may tell me I should focus only on myself; their voices become the song of fools.

The fools laugh not at themselves, but at others who do foolish things. The crackling of thorns means they like to stir up trouble, and then laugh at the results. King Solomon, who wrote this book, says this is meaningless—there is no reason why I should pay attention to such things.

A wise person also has the ability to be corrupted; if he lets his guard down and does one foolish thing, a devious person may wound his pride, and he might cower in fear rather than being found out.

THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS: The moral of this story is that I should not care what other people think. When I need advice, I should turn to one who is wise. If I am quickly provoked in my spirit when I am wronged, then I will soon regret the actions of my anger. Having my patience tested is more important than having my pride wounded.

I know this life is not perfect, and neither am I. But I want my life to be meaningful, not meaningless. This will only happen if I stop sweating the small stuff. So what, if my pride gets a little bruised? God asks me to be patient. He doesn’t ask this because He is uncertain; He asks this so I will be strong enough to act when He tells me what to do.

With wisdom comes patience, and with patience comes strength. Lord, give me wisdom today, so I can acquire the spiritual fruit of patience. I desire to be strong and for my patience to be abundant!

May you be blessed,

Chaplain Wayne Ruckman