MEASURING PROGRESS (cont'd)
Longsuffering is the same
as patience, endurance, steadfastness, and perseverance. To score
well here we need to be patient when it seems to take forever for
God to answer and meet our needs. It means to endure all hardships
as well as successes. We must also be “steadfast, unmoveable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that
your labor is not in vain in the Lord (I Cor. 15:58).” It also
means to persevere or stick to the stuff so that we like Paul might
say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course,
I have kept the faith (II Tim. 4:7.”
The Greek word translated gentleness or kindness also means moral
goodness and integrity. Eph. 4:32 tells us, “And be ye kind
one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God
for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” The true essence
of kindness comes in being tenderhearted towards those who are hurting
or are weaker in the faith and to forgive those who wrong you. To
have integrity means to keep your word regardless of how much it costs
you, to pay your bills when they are due, and to be fair in all your
dealings not taking huge profits or cheating someone out of the true
value of what you’re buying off of them. Romans 13:8 puts it
this way, “Owe no man any thing.”
The Greek word translated goodness means uprightness of heart and
life. Kindness covers the outward expressions of our moral uprightness
in relation to others. Goodness refers to the inward measure of our
moral correctness in relationship with others. Perhaps we have done
a great job upholding our testimony in the community, expressing kindness
to others, and telling others we forgive them, but what does our heart
really wish to express? Are our expressions of kindness the result
of the love of God in our hearts or an outward show to seem spiritual
to others? In I Sam. 16:7 God says, “For man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
Faith means just what it seems to mean. How much do we believe God
and His Word? Do we believe Him enough to be immediately obedient
to his commands? If God asks you to give $100 to the missionary, do
we give $50 thinking it was just an errant thought on our part? Faith
is a very powerful thing. It is not a light belief that something
is right but I’m not sure I can trust it. Faith means I believe
God enough to lean back in His arms and let Him have full control
of the driver’s seat. How much faith we have can be measured
by what it takes us to disobey God. If we believe there is a hell
waiting for sinners, we would be out begging them to accept Christ.
If we believe that we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ
then we will earnestly contend for the faith yielding completely to
the will of God for our daily lives. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen.”
