DAY 2: DRAWING CLOSER TO GOD (Patience Through Him)

God showed me how much I was like the grumbling Isrealites today. By the end of my morning, I was fed up with the lack of listening from the preschoolers in my class, two in particular got me to the point of throwing my hands up in the air. How many times do I have to call your name for you to respond???? Yes, I was frustrated and I grumbled about it. However, tonight with my bible study group, I was reminded of how very patient God was with the Isrealites as they were led out of Egypt and eventually through the desert for 40 years. God had to teach them over and over and over again about obedience. Amazing things happen when we are obedient. I witnessed this in the last two days in my preschool class with one boy who has been trouble since day one with extreme anger issues, running away from the class and even some language that nobody should say especially a 4 year old. But a reward was promised to him by his mom and he has been a delightful and very good child for the last two days. I hope it shows him how being obedience brings blessings. I am praising God for reminding me that my patience will wear thin but he is always with me so I know I have Him within me to get a dose of supernatural patience to be able to handle these days when the children are having lots of trouble listening.
This verse will be my verse to pray in the days to come...
Colossians 3:12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

We Are Hardest on Ourselves

Encouragement came when I needed it and I didn't even know that is what I needed. As I was reading the chapter about Prayer of Tears in Richard J Foster's book Prayer-Finding the Heart's True Home, I found  myself in tears from the words he wrote. Here is a little excerpt:
Be encouraged by the observation of Thomas a Kempis that "habit overcomes habit." You are building new habits of prayer, and patient, kind, firm persistence is what you need with yourself.
Tears came as I read these words. I had been disillusioned and down on myself for my seeming inability to stop and prayer, to go to Him, to rely completely on Him. I was being too critical of myself, not forgiving myself for my humanity but these words brought a peace to my soul. It's okay. I am a sinner, I am human, I am not perfect but I can overcome because I have Jesus on my side. But, that is a life-long pursuit that will not be fully achieved. I can only keep striving to overcome the bad habits with the good ones, to rely and trust in my Father. It is with patience and kindness towards myself that I can continue to be persistent and keep moving forward and growing into being more Christ-like.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 342

Self-control over what comes out of your mouth is SUPER challenging for me. It is most especially difficult when in a stressful situation. The other day I actually prepared myself for the frustrations that would occur at work by focused praying and yet I found myself later that day in a surprise I need this now situation. So, I scrambled to get together a couple of spreadsheets that could be used for a test import meeting that was starting as I spoke. Really?! You couldn’t have thought of this in the morning so I could have some time to prepare them. So, off I went rushing to get these spreadsheets done and sent when in comes what we like to call the “pit bull” co-manager because she is on top of things to get them done. My frustration was coming out of my mouth but I explained that I just got the call that this was needed which she didn’t realize so she leaves me be for about another minute and comes back. I tell her I am working it and have almost got it ready and then in SO my temperament way I said, “I can’t magically pull these out of my butt”. Well, she thought it was funny, which is what I intended for it to be to get her to back off. Unfortunately, she goes into the other manager’s office where the meeting is going to take place and tells those that are in there. They all were laughing about it but the co-worker on speaker phone in our Texas office was offended by it. So, I got a talking to about my language. Ugh. I felt so wounded and defeated and honestly was feeling like God didn’t help me. So, I was cranky and depressed for the rest of the day. The good news is I got over it and had to realize that with my forgiveness from God I had to forgive myself. I ended up reading from The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell and was just awed by how God works. He gave me some wisdom on this whole self-control over my mouth thing and gave me what to do. Here is an expert on the Law of Consistency chapter:

You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. That means developing great habits. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments, and that bridge must be crossed every day. Over time that daily crossing becomes a habit. And ultimately, people do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future. As author and speaker Brian Tracy says, “From the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to sleep at night, your habits largely control the words you say, the things you do, and the ways you react and respond.”

So, I thought to myself how can I make my responses to people become loving, gentle and kind even in the midst of impatience, frustration and stress? I already had memorized this scripture but realized it was something I had to use constantly for every action, words I say and responses and reactions I make. Scripture is the sword of the spirit. It can overcome my weakness in my self-control over my mouth but it will take patience and persistence. Growth doesn’t happen instantaneously which is where my down on God attitude came from the other day. God is patiently persisting in working on and refining me. So, I thank him for this wisdom and will work on using his word as my daily defense against the weakness within me to turn it into a strength that glorifies God.

Psalm 19:14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits-Day ??? Maybe 340?

Definition of Patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset; the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune or pain, without complaint, loss of temper or irritation or the like.

As I sat praying this morning in the quiet of my basement, I gave thanks and praise to God, prayed for specific things for my husband and children and ended by praying for myself and being patient, kind, gentle and loving within the circumstances I find myself today. I small light bulb lite up in my head and I thought I can’t be these things without the Lord so I adjusted my prayer to ask for help to put on the filter of Jesus that would guide my responses to any challenging situations. I have always had a reactionary response especially to things that frustrate or make me angry but with the Lord’s help I can choose to take the filter of Jesus and use Him and his perfection to guide my responses. Stop, pray and breathe before responding. Stop, pray and breathe. Stop, pray and breathe. Stop, pray and breathe.

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 336

I have been pondering the word rely since Monday when I got through my day without calling on God for help. I resorted to doing it my way and I was frustrated, angry and even said something that offended someone. To make matters worse, I knew I was not being a very good example of Christian love and the fruits of the Spirit had turned sour. I was a mess and instead of taking my stress to God and dealing with it in godly ways I went home had a glass and a half of wine (that is a lot for me these days) and then proceeded to let go of self-control and ate too many chocolate almonds. I woke up the next morning feeling very sorry for my pathetic display and asked God for forgiveness and help on being better prepared to handle my day at work that is extremely challenging right now. That word “rely” popped in my head so I tried looking it up in the concordance of my bible but it wasn’t there so I did a search on line for scripture about relying on God and was led to what I needed. I gave me a good visual and for me a visual works so well. God led me to another visual too of a father walking with his daughter holding her hand and as they go down the path they encounter a big pile of sticks in the way so the daughter looks up to her father and asks what they should do. My pile of sticks is my current workplace and the challenge of dealing with another culture and a communication barrier in the middle of 5 butt-loads of work that keeps piling up. Prayerful preparation with my Daddy and the visual tools helped me get through my day with patience and gentleness and my self-control was focused on what would glorify God.  The visual brought me instant peace and a smile to my face every time. If you have encountered a pile of sticks in your path, look to our Daddy and let him help you decide the course you should take.

Jeremiah 17:5-9 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 307

I have found a three part sermon series on the fruit of the spirit that is very well written. The first part of the first sermon is setting straight that it is not fruits of the Spirit but fruit of the spirit. The nine character traits that are in Galatians 5:22: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control are a parts of what we can have with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. And like all fruit(s) these character traits ripen and grow over time with the guiding of the Holy Spirit and our daily walk with God. Here are two statements from this first sermon that state in a clear way what that “Fruit of the Spirit” is:

Fruit of the Spirit is a physical manifestation of a Christian’s transformed life.

Fruit of the Spirit is the visible growth in Jesus Christ.

Take some time to meditate on this today and let the Holy Spirit speak to you about your character traits and how the ripening process is going.

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 303

Yesterday was the final day of the Whole 30 challenge. I made cauliflower rice for the first time and fell in love. This morning I get on the scale to see what 30 days has done and was disappointed to see only 2lbs down. But I have to remember I actually, started 3 weeks before the challenge cutting out things and lost 5lbs in those three weeks. I am not to the goal I set myself but I do feel better and have found that I don’t need the snacks and don’t get the shakiness like I use to. I am going to keep going with this way of eating as I have found I really enjoy the freshness of the foods and the new foods I have tried. I may never eat pasta or rice again thanks to spaghetti squash and cauliflower. Who knew? I am going to persevere and keep on this race in eating healthy and let the natural course of time do its thing. It takes one meal to gain weight but takes months to lose it.  So, I am going to call on the Holy Spirit to give me patience and help me with the self-control needed to eat in a disciplined healthy way.

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

Cauliflower Rice Recipe:
Pulse cauliflower in food processor until small size, like rice.
Heat pan with coconut oil.
Saute chopped onion and garlic.
Add cauliflower rice and stir for about a minute.
Add a couple tablespoons of chicken broth and simmer and stir for another 5 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 289

I recently watched this movie on Netflix called In the Blink of an Eye. It was basically about a man who lives through the same morning until he gets it and accepts Jesus. In these mornings, his wife who has accepted Christ just the day before and has yet to tell her husband along with his friend and his wife disappear. They are on a yacht out in the middle of nowhere and these three are the only ones who disappear and they cannot get a hold of anyone on the radio but some cryptic sounding background of fearful people crying out. The rapture has happened but for this man God makes him live the morning over and over again until he finally realizes what is happening and accepts Christ. This movie is a message about God's persistence and patience. He has in other ways tried to guide us to him and he keeps on trying. Even though God already knows the outcome for each of us, I am betting he still is thrilled by every moment when it happens, when someone accepts Jesus into his heart. This movie and reminder of how God is persistent and patient was much needed as I am struggling with my stomach having issues. I don't know if it is because of the new way of eating or if I am fighting something off but I knew that Satan was trying to make my thinking go downhill to the point of giving up but I prayed and knew that God was telling me to be persistent and patient and all would be well.

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 276

This verse from Isaiah has been repeated several times. It is a literary devise intended to make a point. The first time I read it I was intrigued by it, the second time it made me pause to consider why it might be said again but the third time was the deciding factor to really stop and look at this verse. What does this verse tell us about God? He gets angry. We are made in his image so God has all the emotions that we have including anger. He deals with his anger with his perfect wisdom and patience rather than stuffing his anger inside or worse, turning away from us completely. God has a choice too. He could leave us to Satan but he fights for us because he loves us more than all the sins we have done and will do all put together and more. He uses his anger wisely and with patience he disciplines us with some tough love, not because he is mad at us but because he loves us and his heart’s desire is to have a one-on-one relationship with him, relying on and loving him. Satan is fighting every day to pull us away from God. God is fighting every day to keep us close, under his wing. Our part is to cherish that place under his wing and look up to him for all things and not let what Satan does in our world shift our focus away from God.

Holy Father, thank you for the shelter of your wing. Help us to cherish this so much that we can withstand the ploys of Satan to pull our gaze away from you. With you all things are possible. Amen.

Isaiah 10: 4.5 Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 259

It has been over 2000 years since Jesus suffered on the cross for us and rose from the dead. Some may think he is not coming back considering how long it has been but God doesn’t measure time as we do. But it is not really about the time but that God’s heart wants us all to repent and be saved. He grieves over every lost soul and celebrates with all souls that are saved. His love and mercy give us opportunity after opportunity to turn to Him. His patience is because of his love for us. I am eternally grateful to God for his patience with me and that I finally was able to see the truth. Patience is given to us by the Holy Spirit and love is at the core of all the fruits the Holy Spirit gives us. So when the kids are making you crazy, your boss is pushing your buttons or your spouse isn’t listening to you, it is time to demonstrate your love for them with the patience the Holy Spirit can give you.

2Peter 3:8-9 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. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 251

I recently went to the exhibit in town called Passages.  http://www.explorepassages.com/ It is an exhibit about the history of the bible. Not the contents of the bible but how it actually came to be translated, printed and other fascinating history. I think the one thing that really made an impression on me was the demonstration of the printing press created so the bible could be printed for all people. They literally had to place each letter in the set-up which shows backwards and it was in Latin and this was done in Germany by men who didn’t know any Latin. It had to be frustrating, meticulous and time-consuming. I am pretty sure you would have to have the patience of a saint. With this bit of history and all the rest, it really is amazing that we are able to read our own personal bibles today. I must have 4-5 copies of the bible myself and yet there was a time when the common folk didn’t get to have the bible and people fought for that privilege. Everything we have is because of God and how he helped men and women throughout history that we might have the living Word of God in our very own homes. When I am in need of patience, I will picture in my mind the demonstration of the printing press and the task it took to print just one bible. That took divine intervention!

Romans 15: 4-5

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 208

Saturdays are always in need of more patience and gentleness because I am with my strong-willed daughter all day. Thankfully, I have the power of the Holy Spirit within me to help me overcome my own need to control and be gentle and patient with my daughter who wants to take charge. Praying your Saturday will be filled with joy, love and all the fruits of the Spirit.

2Corinthians 13:11 Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 162

I come from a family of women who are have a tendency to not listen well. We speak before thinking, react before processing and let anger take control. My mom, sister and I were on our annual spa trip together this last weekend. It is a good time but inevitably becomes a therapy session. Being the quieter one within this trio, I tend to just let them do the talking and will pipe in when there is a purpose behind it. I am not one to talk much about nothing. This time around I was having a very difficult time maintaining my patience and gentleness with them because of the negative stuff that seemed to be coming out more than anything else. My mom, being older and wiser, realized she may have to temper her mouth a little more so as not to set off my sister. I came to the point that I was thinking about not doing this anymore. I need a vacation from my vacation. It feels like walking on egg shells at times because anything you say can be held against you and may set off a volcano. I can’t be the therapist to my mother and sister and our relationships because I am too close to it all so I just have prayed and let them know I love them and hope that the Lord will guide them both in drawing nearer to the Lord so that they may bear the fruit the Holy Spirit can give.

James 1:19-21 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

365 Days of Spirt-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 137

I think everyone is aware that people are unique and complex but I am not sure people really understand how unique each of us are. As I was studying temperaments the other night at the library, I thought, God could have created us all with the same temperament. My next thought was the answer; we would all be the same, like robots. God made each of us unique and special and put us in a special part of his grand plan for the world that only we can fill. All this uniqueness is complex which is part of the reason we find it hard to love one another. We have to figure out ourselves, which some people never do. The more you understand how God created you, the more you will be able to let the Holy Spirit within you, guide each of your steps, decide each of your words and give you all that you need. With the patience and kindness only the Holy Spirit can give, you will be able to truly love. And love is what it is all about.

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 92

Sometimes during a sermon my thought process sticks to one word said and the rest of it becomes a blur. The word that had me going off in my own thoughts was convicted. It is likely many words we use and hear and understand the meaning but couldn’t put it into a definition. So, I got onto the handy dandy Google site and got the definition of convicted or conviction: a fixed or firmly held belief. Conviction isn’t just about belief but about the groundedness of that belief, the solid foundation of that belief, the belief that doesn’t waver in the sifting sands of this world. I remember an when an earthquake hit in southern California when I was about 16. Usually, the earthquakes always came in the early morning hours and you slept right through them so this was my first experience of the ground beneath me shifting in this jolting rolling motion. I was drying my hair in the bathroom when it hit and immediately tried to get to the doorway where we were always taught you would be safer if the building/house collapsed. The ground was not what it always was. It was all over the place and walking those 4 feet the doorway seemed to take an eternity and be the greatest of challenges. By the time I made it to the doorway, the earthquake has stopped and my emotions bubbled over into a torrential rain of tears. It was hard walking those few feet with the shifting foundation below me which is what is like when our spiritual foundation is not solid. Would you rather walk on a solid surface or in a jungle where there may be quicksand in any step you take or on an icy driveway where you slip and fall? I want my walk to be on solid ground and that solid ground comes from the one and only Jesus and the Word of God. How convicted am I of what I believe? I can honestly say that my convictions have been on shaky ground at times but the more I am in his Word and working on living out the Word within my life the more I feel the foundation getting stronger. I think it will always be a life-long process of working on keeping the foundation strong and building it stronger but that is where the Spirit will help us in giving us patience, perseverance and hope to keep going, keep fighting the fight, keep walking the walk.

Romans 4:18-22 Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.” Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about one hundred years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God. He was fully convinced that what God promised he was also able to do. So indeed it was credited to Abraham as righteousness.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 87

I love this idea of putting on fruits of the spirit like clothes. It really is a reminder that these fruits are not something we just have within. We aren’t born with patience. Think of how a baby cries when it is hungry. The baby wants that milk NOW! We don’t  have kindness naturally. Think of the kids in the school yard calling each other names. We are just lumps of clay when we are born. God takes that lump of clay and molds it into a bowl and we ask the Holy Spirit to fill that bowl with fruit or to go with the clothes analogy, we put on our shirt of kindness, our pants of patience, our sweater of humility and so on; dressing in spiritual layers everyday no matter what the weather calls for. I am often hot at work as you know because the thermostat is up so high for the others near the windows who are cold but I have been putting on my spiritual layers of clothes and have been patient and kind regardless of my over-heated body. I am going to give names of the fruits to my clothes as I started above and think of those as I dress each morning.

Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 81

The drama continues at my workplace… Monday tasks were switched around and Tuesday they were switched back to where they were before. The head honcho was not happy with our visiting worker from India who made this switch before evaluating everything. She came up to my desk later in the day and wanted to train me how to record something in another program but I was in the middle of trying to get the mail finished and she just expected me to drop it all and listen so I did. I thank God for giving me patience with her because she wants to make sure of things but doesn’t want to hear my answer. She wants a yes or no but there are things I have to point out to her so she fully gets the whole process. Than, just as abruptly as she came she will walk away and go to another person’s desk and interrupt them without a care. I don’t know how long she is here for but I am sure the frustrations she brings will keep coming only because she is trying to do her job and has the stress of reporting to the head honcho who likes to be in control of everything. So, I am trying to remember that there is another part to her, the part that God loves no matter what.

Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 75

We have a woman from India that started working with us this week. She is demanding lots of time and attention along with reports of the numbers of things we do. I, thanks be to God, had the patience yesterday as she came to me with questions and than proceeded to stay at my computer screen asking me to scroll this way or that and ask more questions about things that didn’t relate to me so I had to ask my team lead across the room. So, I did this for ten minutes and she finally left. My team lead was at her wit’s end. She said she felt she was being pulled from all angles. I told her she should go talk to our office manager about it even though nothing would come of it, she could at least get her emotions off her chest that were festering and to the right person. I think she felt better after having talked and cried to her. I had to leave for lunch even though I brought my lunch just because I could feel the tension and stress of it all starting to get to me. The sunny day and time to pray gave me a better perspective. So, I am praying today for more patience and the words to help others make peace with each other and the work that has to be done.

James 3:18 Those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 41

My mind has been in turmoil lately with all the medical bills coming in and more physical therapy needed in the weeks ahead. I had hoped to begin my studies to become a Christian Life Coach and Counselor at the first of the year but my current circumstances are telling me that it is not the time. Without the money to get started and the right frame of mind, I am fighting with the idea that it’s not about my timing but God’s timing. I have to have faith and the patience to wait for God’s will to be done. The money will come, my shoulder will get better, my attitude will be ready to learn in His time. He’s trying to tell me it’s not never it’s just not yet. So I have been calling on the Holy Spirit to help me with my struggle, to give me the faith and the patience to wait.

Colossians 1:10-11 We pray that you will lead a life that is worthy of the Lord. We pray that you will please him in every way. So we want you to bear fruit in every good thing you do. We want you to grow to know God better. We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. Never give up. Be joyful as you give thanks to the Father.

365 Days of Spirit-Filled Fruits Challenge-Day 10

For the next week or so I am going to pick apart and study the famous wedding scripture 1 Corinthians 13:4-13. When I did my two read-the-bible-in-a-year stints on-line with other family members several years ago, one thing that I found that helped me understand the scripture I was reading sink in was to focus on a word that stood out. In that same thinking, I will focus on the little pieces throughout this scripture and really look at them in depth. The first word study will be on patience. It is always amazing to me to look up a definition of a word and get it put into other words that make you go ah-ha. Patience: the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset; the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune or pain, without complaint, loss of temper or irritation or the like. Some good synonyms for patience are long-suffering, resignation, forbearance. I think that being a parent has probably taught me the most when it comes to patience and I am pretty sure most all parents out there would agree. Parenting is a lot of sacrifice that I think we aren’t prepared for. I can remember when my daughter was learning to use the toilet. My expectations were really high because I thought her being a girl and from all that I heard girls just got through this easier. Well, that was far from what happened with my darling girl. It was a long-suffering battle of my expectations not being met and cleaning up after the mess. I can look back and see how my patience was worn so thin and there were times that like a volcano I didn’t totally blow but I let off some steam. My daughter is sensitivity and my yelling greatly affected her. I prayed for patience with her even though my mother-in-law always told me never to pray for patience because than you would really need it. But being patient with others is a piece that shows your love for them. If you are losing your temper, yelling at your kids or husband or complaining about how you can’t take it anymore, than it is time to pray, pray, pray. What you need is patience and the Holy Spirit has that to give you! Look to Jesus as the ultimate example of patience.

King Jesus, you are the perfector of patience. Help me to look to you and the Word of God when I am about to blow-up with anger. Remind me that being patient with one another shows my love. With You All Things Are Possible, Amen.

1 Timothy 1:16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.