Patience.

2Co 5:15 He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

2Co 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

This principle is one we should accept with humility and prestige. This process is one of great patience and perseverance. This is not an overnight development; this is a life long progression.

I wish there were a more eloquent way of putting this; PRIDE IS STUPID. The worst result of pride is interruption. Pride interrupts us from becoming as Christlike as possible; it slows down our maturing process. Pride obstructs our inner mind’s eye from identifying & confessing our faults, it holds back our hearts from admitting our weaknesses. We can not fix what we do not admit is broken. Well along comes Jesus, teaching and spreading His Father's words & ways, exposing the Creator's truth and purpose. But we fear what we do not know and oppose what does not coincide with what we believe. Jesus said in John 3:20 "All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed."

We are opposed to what ever restricts our freedom, not knowing that the REAL truth will set us free.

John 8:31-32 Jesus said to the people who believed in Him, "You are truly My disciples if you remain faithful to My teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

You see, in all actuality HUMAN truth is a LIE that we have just become too comfortable with to surrender, but at the end of the day it's still a LIE. So we condemned the greatest man to ever walk the face of the earth because we couldn't handle the truth. Jesus Said in John 7:7 "The world can't hate you, but it does hate me because I accuse it of doing evil."

I struggle with my faith sometimes, but I need you to understand that this is not an overnight journey, this is a life long process, learning as each day goes on, enduring hardships and understanding the benefits of these sufferings. The apostle James said "Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing." James 1:2-4

Always remember the following scripture; it helped me when I needed it most, when I thought I needed to be moving faster in my faith. When Habakkuk became miserable because he thought God was not acting fast enough, God said to him:

“These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day! Habakkuk 2:3 (Living Bible Version)

I was seeing things in other Christians that I did not see in myself and I thought I had to be where they were, but every one’s relationship moves at a different pace, we have to unlearn many old things before we learn new things.

Eph 4:22-24 “throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

Christianity is about action, what we do, not just what we read. The Bible is the living Word of God, the Word has life, and it gives life. We must be doers not just listeners.

Col 3:7-10 “You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.”

With patience and love we can become that which God intended us to be.

God Bless You,
Frank Aponte Jr