-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. -- Galatians 5:22 (WEB) For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don't cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love; in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins; who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him were all things created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and for him. -- Colossians 1:9-16 (WEB) We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end, that you won't be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherited the promises. For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he could swear by none greater, he swore by himself, saying, "Most surely I will bless you, and I will surely multiply you." Thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. -- Hebrews 6:11-15 Faith and patience work together. Abraham didn't just believe God for a little while. Abraham kept believing God and expecting God to fulfill His promise in spite of the circumstances. If anyone had intimidating circumstances to argue with God's promise, Abraham did. God promised Abraham not only a son, but descendants that could no more be counted than the sand of the sea or the stars of the sky. We know that is true, now, as nobody but God can give you an exact count of any of those large numbers, but only estimates. Abraham didn't have the benefit of the history we have today of the nations that came from his descendants. He had the promise of God, an old body, and a wife who was past the child-bearing years. He believed God more than he believed his body, and sure enough, at the time set by God (which was one year later, Gen 17:21), Abraham and Sarah had a baby boy. Glory to God! It happened because Abraham believed God and kept patiently believing God even when it looked like it was crazy to do so. Was Abraham controlling God with his faith and patience? No, he was cooperating with God. In the same way, we can cooperate with God in our prayer and our lives, allowing God to bring forth the miracles that will bless many people. God wants you to cooperate with Him, too, in faith and patience. What has He put on your heart? -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.8 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com> Comment: http://ebible.org/mpj/ iQA/AwUBOcd+JUSP4McX10e7EQKoCwCg/k/aXAX+T1PUv0D8zNYC6c7f3jsAmgPB +mERUMBLpTUaS6/XqG6Glhyl =UpMH -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Eat the hay & spit out the sticks! - A#1's mule" RTKB&G4JC! http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
