Monday, October 30, 2006

Hurry Sickness

A devotion for today.

Hurry Sickness

Read: Philippians 3:7-16

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on.
PHILIPPIANS 3:12

"Hurry up!" "We're late!" "You're too slow!" How often do impatient words crop up in our speech, revealing our fast-paced life? If we're not careful, we become people living in the fast lane, demanding quick arrivals and instant results. Stress experts call this "hurry sickness."

In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul's testimony of lifelong growth reminds us that Christian maturity can be encouraged but not hurried. In his book Overcomers Through the Cross, Paul Billheimer says that just as God takes time to make an oak tree, He takes time to make a saint. Christian growth is a life-long process.

Billheimer writes, "An unripe apple is not fit to eat, but we should not therefore condemn it. It is not yet ready for eating because God is not done making it. It is a phase of its career and good in its place."

Are you feeling impatient over your spiritual growth? Remember, God is not finished with you—nor does He expect to be until He calls you home. Make sure that your goal is to know Christ and to become more like Him. Then slowly but surely, under blue skies and stormy, He will bring you to maturity. It's His sure cure for "hurry sickness." ~Joanie Yoder

O God, make me one of those rarest souls
Who willingly wait for Thy time;
My impatient will must be lost in Thine own,
And Thy will forever be mine.
~Bowser

There are no shortcuts to spiritual maturity.

3 comments:

Keith M. said...

Amen Zachary! That was a good post, I have never thought about it like that. The same is with other things, we can't expect everything to come to us right away, God has a purpose for us, and we need to press on in the battle.

Elizabeth Pruett said...

I am glad that I can't see all my faults at once. I only need to work on a few at a time. There really aren't any shortcuts. I am glad that God is faithful; He never gives up on us but continues to help us in our development!

Anonymous said...

Hey Zac! I liked your devotional! Can I post it as a guest post when I get to Philippians 3 on Think Upon These Things? E-mail me at ednella.godfollower@gmail.com if you have any questions.

~Nella