“²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoptions as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” – Romans 8:23 (ESV)

In my family we have 3 automobiles and the newest of them is a 2005 model with 220,000 miles. Our other two are a 2004 and 1997 with 185,000 and 97,000 miles respectively. Now it may seem as though we are in need of new vehicles, we look at them simply as a means of transportation and work for us.

Thinking of my physical body here in this world. It is not in the best of shape. I am round in the middle, soft in most places and could stand to lighten up a bit as well. Not exactly the picture of a well oiled machine. But, this body is simply a means of getting along and works for me and the plan God has for my life.

I will be getting a new body once I am in glory with God. I will be restored to outward beauty to go along with the inward beauty I have received from Christ with my salvation. I will be restored to the classic state God sees in me.

Here in this world, I wait for my restoration. I know that the process is slow and steady. I know that I will not be completed here. I know that the final work on me will be completed in heaven. I must proceed with what I have and “wait eagerly” for my full restoration.

Are you aware of what you have today? Are you looking to get brand new now? Will you wait eagerly for your full restoration to the classic God will restore you to?

Making the decision to go is sometime where I get tripped up. I continue looking for the right time, waiting on a bit more information or the right help.

“⁴And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; ⁵for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” – Acts 1:4-5 (ESV)

Jesus died and rose again. When He returned, He began training the disciples to take over the spreading of the gospel. But, not until they had received “the promise of the Father”, the Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit came, the disciples were to GO.

I realized the Holy Spirit when I accepted Christ. I have learned and will continue to learn so that I can overcome adversity that comes with Christianity. I don’t need more information. It is time for me to GO. I have delayed too long. I should wait no more. I should GO and spread the good news of the gospel.

What about you, are you still waiting even though you have heard? Are you looking out for more information and delaying your start? Are you willing to wait no more and GO?

Many times have I needed strength. In those moments, I am able to find enough strength somewhere to complete the task at hand. Most of us have heard (or maybe been the one) of the one that lifted the car to save someone. Or overcame illness to reach someone in need. In fact there are countless movies and stories depicting just those scenarios. Where they are incredible feats, the strength used in those acts were trained for and waited on.

“³¹but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” – Isaiah 40:31 (ESV)

When I read this passage, I see the “wait” part which in itself generates strength through the rest that we get. But there is more to it than that as I dig deeper. In our waiting, we should not be just sitting idle. I should be studying and training to grow my strength. I should be working toward and building my endurance for the moment I will need it to perform the tasks that God has in store for me. One does not simply rest up for a week week waiting for the marathon so they will have the endurance and strength to complete it. They train for weeks, preparing for the moment they will call on the built up strength to successfully complete the race.

I have been a brother of Christ for most of my life as I have grown up in the church and was baptized as a child. I have been sharing my morning bible study with others now for 3 ½ years. And yet, I feel like I still need more training. I feel like I need more preparation. I feel like I need more strength. I ask, will I be ready and capable when called upon?

YES!!!!!!

God has prepared me for what He will call me for. I will be able to complete the task. Just like that person that lifted the car. Or the one that endured to help someone else, God provides what I need when I need it. But, I still have work to do. There are still more preparations. I still have training to complete. There is more waiting in store for me. My renewal is happening right now. What about you?

Are you waiting for the moment you will be called on? Are you training to gain the strength and endurance you will need? Is your waiting and training purposeful?

God does not keep a record of how we have failed Him to use against us.

“³If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” – Psalm 130:3 (ESV)

I know that we will have to account for our lives when we get to heaven, but God does not hold that against us here nor when we get to heaven.

“⁴But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” – Psalm 130:4 (ESV)

I am tasked with waiting on the mercy of the Lord. Each day I wait, knowing that mercy is coming, and already here. God does not keep a record and has already forgiven me when I accepted His gift of salvation. He will also provide even more mercy when I pass from this world in human death. I will join Him in heaven and the glory there.

“⁵I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; ⁶my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.” – Psalm 130:5-6 (ESV)

I wait for the Lord’s mercy each day. I know it is there and is to come, yet I continue to wait.

Are you aware? Have you accepted the Lord’s mercy in the now? Will you continue to wait for the Lord’s mercy to come?

I know that when I am waiting, a lot of that time is spent thinking about what to do when, what about this, that, the other. When will this be ready? When will I realize the end?

“⁷Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! ⁸Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. ⁹For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.” – Psalm 37:7-9 (ESV)

I find myself doing the opposite of the verses above. When waiting, I do look around and see others prospering. I do see others getting away with and getting ahead, or so it seems. I feel as though I am not getting anywhere and others are “winning” even when their motives are not centered on God (as far as I can see).

The verses I have quoted from Psalm should be my guide. I should be looking to God and not looking out at others. I should be concerned with what is going on in my life and not that which is going on in the lives of others and their “wins and/or losses”.

Fret and worry get us nowhere. When we are concerned with what is going on around us, we take our focus off of the plan and work that God has in store for us. We cannot focus on our actions if we are worried about the actions of others. I have to be looking out for my relationship with God and my family.

All of those around me are of no consequence except that I should treat them and love them as God loves the church and me. Where they are in their relationship with God is not for me to say. I am only to pray for and lift them up to God and allow God to do the work in their lives as He continues to work in my life.

Waiting for God does not mean that we should worry. I need to wait on God’s plan to be revealed to me and when it is, I must be ready to take action. If I am looking at others, how can I be ready to the action God has in store for me.

When you wait, are you looking around at others? Are you concerned with what is going on around you as opposed to what is going on with you? Are you fretting and worrying as opposed to just waiting?

Think about the times we are in right now. We have gotten used to having things at the tip of our fingers. In fact so much so, that it is becoming increasingly difficult to have patience with anything. I recall recently going to my son’s apartment at college and waiting in line to input the code to enter the gates. The cars in front of me went, one by one through the gate as it was about to close. One vehicle went the opposite direction once the gate had completely closed so as to not have to wait on putting the code. They took their chances with entering through the exit so they did not have to wait the extra 30 seconds it would have taken to enter properly.

“¹⁴Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” – Psalm 27:14 (ESV)

I know, how does not waiting on the gate align to waiting on the Lord? Well, waiting is a demonstration of dependence on right. And what more would be right than God.

I will admit that when I am in a situation where waiting does not make sense, I am impatient and frustrate easily (ex.; traffic getting out of a parking lot, drive through delays, only one register open on a Saturday afternoon). But I have to look at the delay as a dependence on God. There is a reason he has placed me in that situation. The Lord has a plan, and this “delay” is likely right in line with that plan (See below the demonstration of Jesus’ delay).

“⁶So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.” – John 11:6 (ESV)

Jesus’ good friend Lazarus was ill and likely dying, and Jesus delayed. He did not get delayed, he “stayed two days longer” intentionally.

Our role is to be demonstrate dependence in Him and the plan He has in store. I have to stand strong and wait. I must trust and use that trust to be strong and courageous in the face of adversity, even when that adversity is simply a 5 minute wait. My dependence on God shows the strength of character to act as Jesus in situations that arrive.

Are you finding yourself in places where you have to wait? What is your attitude toward the delay? Are you able to demonstrate strength and dependence on the Lord?

“¹⁸I wait for your salvation, O Lord.” – Genesis 49:18 (ESV)

I know, how does that one verse fit into the discussion of a place for thanksgiving? Well it is the 18^th verse of 33 in chapter 49 of Genesis. It fits in the middle of Jacob’s declarations to his 12 sons of their past and futures. Jacob takes a break in the middle of his declarations to give the one liner to God of thanksgiving. No long monologue. No 15 minute oration. A simple one line of thanksgiving.

I recently was in a discussion with a business colleague and took the opportunity to exclaim my mission statement. Whereas I may mission statement does not give thanks to God, it does indicated that God is my example in very plain language: “Improve lives through growth and learning as an example of Christ’s love.” In the middle of a business conversation I was able to declare my following of Christ.

I have not always been bold enough to declare Christ in my public life as there was fear of not being accepted and that I would be treated as a religious zealot and not taken seriously. I was wrong.

There is always a place for God. I have learned over the years, yes years, that Christ is worthy of my declarations and I should not be afraid to follow Him in all aspects of my life. In personal private moments, in public moments, and in business moments as well. It only proves the authenticity of my heart when I do declare Him.

What about you, do you shy away from declarations of God? Are you afraid the timing is not right? Will you seek to find a place for God in all that you do?

“⁷But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. ⁸Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—¹⁰that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, ¹¹that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” – Philippians 3:7-11 (ESV)

I need to give up on my attainment and recognition here in this world. Everything that I have gained here, is “rubbish”. I should focus on the task of gaining “Christ” and being “found in him”.

Paul is clear in Chapter 3 of Philippians that if anyone could count himself as worthy, it would be he. His status prior to following Christ was one of importance and learned. He was revered and even was a persecutor of Christians. However, even he counted all of that recognition and notoriety as fleeting based on his new found goals of “becoming like” Christ.

Paul was jailed, and persecuted for his beliefs and his following of Christ, and yet he counted himself as content as he knew and understood his place here and his coming reward in heaven.

“¹¹Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” – Philippians 4:11 (ESV)

I should be taking my cues from Paul as he wrote to the Philippians and be content. I should be counting everything as the rubbish it is today and be looking forward to my reward in heaven.

What are you looking to for your worth? Are you seeing your accomplishments and recognition here as a representation of your worth? Are you able to look to Christ for your worth?

I remember years ago and a trip made to Disney World. I was there with a few friends and it was about time for the electric parade in the evening. We had not taken on Space Mountain as of yet due to the extended wait time for that ride. So, we skipped the parade and went for the ride. As predicted, the line was short and we were able to get through pretty quickly. So quickly in fact that we rode again 3 more times in about an hour.

“¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ¹⁸For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” – Romans 8:16-18 (ESV)

How does my story relate to the verses above? Well here goes. In our trip to Disney World and related to Space Mountain, we determined that the suffering of the long wait times (approximately 2 hours) for the ride were not worth the 90 second ride we would experience. I was comparing the suffering of the wait with the thrill of the ride, and decided that they did not measure up.

Boy was I wrong. You see, I loved the ride, so much so that we went back through and rode again 3 more times. We took the easy way and quantity was overflowing. But, the cost of that quantity was apathy to the overall experience. My disdain for the suffering negatively affected my enjoyment to the point that I don’t even really remember the ride so much as the fact that we rode 4 times in about an hour.

I find myself angry with God due to the seemingly lack of reward for the work I am doing here in this world. I am comparing my suffering of persecution to the glory of my reward in heaven. I am more concerned with all of the obstacles that I am not able to look forward to the reward of glory and that is creating my apathy to the rewards to come.

I have to look at the reward and know that the suffering I will/may/do endure of are no comparison to the glory I will experience. I have to remember that I am here to glorify God and not to please myself. I cannot compare my suffering with the reward.

What have you been avoiding due to the suffering you may have to endure? Are you really wanting that, or only wanting to complete the task quickly? Are you spending too much time comparing the suffering with the reward?

This morning I was brought to Proverbs 10 in my study of “worth”. As I read through and study, what is clear to me is that our choices have worth. I am reminded of the consequences of every choice we make. Regardless of the depth or importance of our choices, we are still responsible for the later effect of those choices, just as we are responsible for the immediate impact.

“¹⁹When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent. ²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, the heart of the wicked is of little worth.” – Proverbs 10:19-20 (ESV)

In just these two verses, I see that what we say and when we say it displays our worth. Either restraint and goodness with wealth of wisdom, or loose tongues and wickedness with wealth of missteps. I have to remember that no matter the direction I choose to go, I am still responsible for those choices.

I have to remember each day to live out my mission and values as I strive for the wealth provided by God.

Mission: “Improve lives through growth and learning as an example of Christ’s love.”

Values: Be the Example / Love / Authenticity / Encourage

I have a choice to live these out with that choice. I have the choice to demonstrate these. With that choice comes great responsibility, and my acceptance of that responsibility determines the worth of those choices.

Are you aware of the choices you make each and all day? Are you looking to make the “right” choices? Are you utilizing your choices to determine the worth of you gains?