This month we have been learning how to make life better by looking at specific passages from the Bible that contain the word “better” and tell us how to live that better life. We have been encouraging people to memorize these verses so that we will know where this better life comes from and how to experience it. So one more time, let’s look at these verses and say them together.
The first week we learned that a better life comes when we live with the awareness that God is always with us. Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Psalm 84:10
The second week we learned that a better life comes from letting go of the things that don’t matter so we can hold on to the things that do matter. Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 4:6
The third week we learned that what will lead us into a better life is not our wisdom but the wisdom of God. How much better to get wisdom than gold, to get insight rather than silver. Proverbs 16:16
And last week we learned that having a good name can open doors for us and lead us to a better life. A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Proverbs 22:1.
Today’s final verse highlights something that many of us lack and yet can help us lead a better life if we can learn it and that is patience. Again from the book of Proverbs we hear: Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32
Patience leads us to a better life and maybe the best example of this is found in the kitchen. You know I had to include another example of the better life using food to make the series complete, but if you are any kind of a cook or baker, you know that patience makes things better.
When I was in seminary I invited a bunch of friends over and decided to make several cheesecakes. I had never made a cheesecake before but there was a big article in the local paper and they had some great recipes that looked pretty easy so I decided to give it a try. They came out pretty good and they really were easy so since then I have made a lot of cheesecakes. One of the things I have learned is that you cannot rush baking a cheesecake. The cake has to cook for at least an hour at 300 degrees and you can’t rush it. I have tried. I have tried setting the oven higher because I was short on time and all that happened is that the top got brown, the cake cracked, and the inside didn't cook enough.
Let’s face it, since the invention of the microwave oven, we have been trying to find ways to cook things faster because we don’t like to wait. For popcorn, the microwave might be great, but not for a roast turkey, but people are impatient so in 2010 the first Instapot was sold. I have not tried one but I hear they are pretty good. I read this week that it only takes 50 minutes to cook a fully frozen turkey breast. While it might taste good, it can’t be better because it takes more than 50 minutes to fill your house with the aroma of turkey. You can cook things faster, but that doesn’t always make things better.
Patience can make food better and it can make life better, but let’s face it, we aren’t very patient people. We get irritated when a store doesn’t open up a new line fast enough or when have to wander through a huge store looking for an item and we can’t find a clerk anywhere to help us. You know what it’s like to walk through Lowes and you are looking for an item and you have no idea where to even start and then you can’t find anyone wearing a red apron to help you. That experience can be so bad that we then decide to just by what we need online but then get frustrated that even with Amazon Prime the shipping might take more than 2 days. And let’s not even talk about how impatient we get while driving and the thoughts that go through our head as we are on the road.
In these situations, and so many more, being impatient leads to frustration and anger. Impatience makes us want to fight in order to be heard, fight to get our point across, or fight to make sure everyone knows our way is the right way and that is going to be THE way. But God says the better way is to be patient. Better a patient person than a warrior, a person who can control their temper than one who fights to take a city. Patience is better.
One of the classic stories about the dangers and consequences of being impatient comes from the Old Testament. Saul was the first king of Israel and before he led his troops into battle against the Philistines, the prophet Samuel told him to wait for seven days and then he would return and offer a sacrifice to give them God’s wisdom and strength. So Saul waited, but during those seven days more of the enemy gathered to fight them and the people of Israel began to scatter in fear. In the end, Saul grew impatient and didn’t wait for Samuel. He offered the sacrifice himself, which he wasn’t allowed to do. Because of his impatience and disobedience, Saul lost his place as king. Saul’s impatience cost him everything.
Impatience can be costly and destructive. The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5
Impatience can cost us everything. Better a patient person than a warrior and here are three ways that patience makes life better.
1. Patience can build, strengthen and restore relationships.
I was able to see this principle at work this past week on our local mission site. The patience that volunteers had with one another helped build new relationships and it strengthened existing relationships. The patience people had with one another didn’t have to restore relationships because it kept relationships from breaking in the first place.
The patience seen this week really was amazing. It’s not easy to have six unique projects all going on at the same time, especially when each project makes an impact on what others are trying to do. At times, work in one area would have to stop because something needed to be done in another area and everyone patiently worked together. And Anna, the homeowner, showed amazing patience as we invaded her home and created quite a mess and constantly were asking her questions and finding more problems. She was the picture of patience the entire week – even as she had to dust furniture again and again.
Now here’s the thing, I’m sure that at times this week people got frustrated with those around them. I’m sure there were moments of impatience in the work being done or the pace of work being done. I’m sure there was some impatience when Roger and I went to run some errands and were gone for about 4 hours. And no, we didn’t stop for a leisure lunch, we were the ones at the Lowes store looking for parts and not able to find what was needed nor anyone who could really help us.
As we were standing there frustrated about the situation, I kept having to tell myself, patience is better. Roger never seemed impatient and that helped me stay patient and everyone back at the work site was patient. Patience ruled the day and the week and because of that patience, an amazing amount of work was done for Anna and her family and God was glorified in the work! Patience led to a better life for all of us this past week.
Here’s why patience makes relationships better, because patience is really just love put into action. 1 Corinthians 13, known as the love chapter, begins talking about love by saying, love is patient. In many ways love has to begin with patience because everything then flows from patience. When we are patient we don’t insist on our own way, we don’t keep a record of wrongs, and we persevere even when it would be easier to give in or give up. Patience keeps going. Patience is love in action so when we are patient with others all relationships are better. With patience, life is better.
2. Patience gives God time to work.
When we are willing to be patient with all that is going on in our lives, both the good and the bad, it gives God the time and opportunity to work in ways that bring about God’s perfect plan. One man who had to be patient for many years in order to see God’s hand at work was Joseph, the son of Jacob.
Joseph had 11 brothers but he was his father’s favorite which is why he was given a beautiful robe. Every time Joseph wore the robe it irritated his brothers and caused hard feelings. Then Joseph told his brothers about the dreams he had where he would rise to prominence and power and they would all have to bow down to him. You can imagine that this also didn’t help their relationship. In time Joseph’s brothers decided to get rid of him and instead of killing him, they sold him as a slave to a group headed to Egypt.
Once in Egypt, Joseph was sold again and he became a servant in the house of Potiphar, a captain of the guard in Pharaoh's household. Over time, Joseph made a name for himself as a leader and rose to prominence but then he was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison. You might think that after being sold by his brothers, then sold again as a slave and then patiently working hard to better his life only be falsely accused and sent to prison that Joseph would be frustrated and angry. You might think Joseph’s impatience with God and his situation would cloud all his feelings, but it didn’t. From prison, Joseph was patient and made the best of his situation and rose once more as a leader.
From prison, Joseph was summoned by Pharaoh to interpret some troubling dreams he had and from those dreams, Joseph predicted that 7 years of plenty were going to be followed by 7 years of drought and that Pharaoh and the people needed to be prepared. Because of his wisdom, Pharaoh decided to put Joseph in charge of storing up food during the good years and distributing it in the difficult years. It was during this time that Joseph’s brothers arrived to buy food for their family and they had no idea that Joseph was the one they were meeting.
If Joseph had met his brothers in the year after they sold him as a slave, the meeting may have gone very differently. Joseph may have been bitter and resentful toward his brothers. Joseph may not have been willing to forgive his brothers or help them in a time of need, but Joseph’s patience gave God time to work. Joseph’s patience gave God time to work in his heart and in the hearts and lives of his brothers so that the brothers could ask for forgiveness and so Joseph could let go of his bitterness and forgive.
If we are willing to be patient during good times and difficult times, we give God time to work in all our circumstances. The Bible says, Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage and wait for the Lord. Our patience gives God time to work things out in our hearts and lives. Even when it seems like nothing might be happening, God can be at work behind the scenes to bring about his purpose and plan.
The summer I worked in Yellowstone NP I didn’t start out being very patient. Everywhere I looked I saw jobs that looked better than the one I had so I asked for them. When I finally got a job that looked better to me, I realized it was actually worse and then I had to get out of it. If I had just been patient, I would have seen that God’s plan for me from the beginning was to be right where I was, working in the kitchen. Too often our impatience tries to direct God’s plans or speed things up - but God’s timing and God’s plans are always better. God works for the good in every situation and if we are patient we will see God’s goodness.
3. God is patient with us.
The last reason patience is better and we need to learn it is because God has been patient with us. Because of God’s patience, God didn’t give up on me when I was willing to give up on Him. Because of God’s patience, when I didn’t wait for God, God was willing wait for me and then work things out for me. Because of God’s patience, I know I am forgiven when I fail to be faithful again and again. Every day I am reminded that without God’s patience, I would be nothing and that encourages me to learn patience.
Peter was one of the disciples that personally understood the patience of Jesus. When Peter told Jesus that he should do things his way, Jesus rebuked him because he didn’t understand God’s plan. Jesus rebuked Peter but He didn’t cancel him. When Peter fell asleep in the garden of Gethsemane instead of staying awake and praying with Jesus, Jesus didn’t dismiss him and tell him to go home. And when Peter denied that he knew Jesus, Jesus didn’t cut him off forever. At every turn and with every failure, Jesus was patient.
Peter personally knew that the patience of Jesus led to forgiveness and the salvation of God, which is why Peter wrote these words,
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9
Without the patience of Jesus, Peter would have been canceled and cast off, but with His patience there was forgiveness and salvation. God’s patience leads us to moments of repentance, which leads to forgiveness and not just a better life but eternal life. That alone is a great incentive to learn patience in our lives.
As you think about how God’s patience has worked in your life, as you think about the times God’s love has forgiven you, cleansed you, restored you, and blessed you, don’t just thank God but return to God and ask Him for the patience you need to live a better life.
Patience is one of the fruits of God’s spirit that can grow in us as we live in the presence of God. So we go back to where we started a month ago - Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. Better is one day knowing God’s grace and mercy than a lifetime of running and hiding in sin and shame. God’s patience has brought us all to this place and this moment and God’s patience that is calling us to come to Him to experience life that is BETTER.
Next Steps
Better is Patience
Memorize this week’s Better verse: Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32
When and where do you find your patience tested the most?
Where are you finding yourself experiencing more patience?
There are consequences to our impatience. Read 1 Samuel 13:1-14
When has impatience cost you something important?
Patience builds, strengthens and restores relationships.
● Read 1 Corinthians 13. Love starts with patience.
● What relationships need your patience and love today?
● Ask God for the patience needed to work with and forgive people.
Patience gives God time to work.
● When have you seen patience allow God time to work?
● What situation needs you to be patient today so God can bring about His perfect plan?
● Ask For the patience needed to wait on Him.
God is patient with us.
● Think of 3 ways God’s patience has forgiven you or helped you.
● Use these examples as motivation to be patient with others.
● Thank God for His patience and ask Him for the patience to love others.
Reread all 5 better passages and commit them to memory.
