跟隨萬王之王12　

上週我分享到因著自己的沒耐心，有多少次錯失主和祂對我生命的計畫。自從我祈求主在這方面幫助我，我每日都有與耐心相關的挑戰，經常是一日數個挑戰。我也開始期待每天與主相遇，或一些特別目的的相遇。

學習擁抱耐心操練的挑戰，對我有另一個意義重大的結果，我手錶上的壓力指數顯示我目前的指數是20或20以下，代表「低度壓力」。我想知道如果在二十一歲時第一次遇見主就學到這一點，而不是等到七十一歲，我的壽命可以增加多少年？

此影響也表現在其他方面，例如我控制怒氣和挫折的能力變得很大。現在有些與我同工多年的人，從來沒看過我生氣。然而，那是因為我傾向在裡面消化事情，這對壓力指數可能更糟，許多人視其為很好的健康氣壓計。

當我意識到有多少次因為沒耐心而錯過主，否則我五十多年信主生涯會更豐富、更滿足、更多結果子，所以我下定決心把學習耐心當作我的主要委身。我知道仁愛是最棒的聖靈果子，但我也看到當我顯出沒耐心時，我也失去愛。

我感覺自己有過最棒的生活，我與主的相交和經歷遠比我以為的更好。我因一些最好的朋友和同工而蒙福，我每天都興奮地醒來，喜樂地睡覺，多年來根本不知道自己有沒耐心的問題。我仍為著沒耐心對我生命付上何等代價而震驚不已，這甚至給予我更大決心不浪費另一次的機會。

關於忍耐（耐心）重要性的新啟示，對我來說應該是作為新信徒就知道的事，卻花了我半世紀之久才看見，我感到很不好意思，這又是出於沒耐心的結果。我與您分享此，好讓您不會犯同樣的錯誤。如果我們行在承受應許所需的信心和忍耐中，基督的身體會有何等大的能力？只要想想神對「等候」祂的人的應許何其大。

詩篇廿七篇14節告訴我們：「要等候耶和華！當壯膽，堅固你的心！我再說，要等候耶和華！」擁有一顆更堅固的心，我們不知能從中受益多少？隨著世上的困境增長，聖經預言成真，人想起那將要臨到世界的事，就嚇得魂不附體。幾乎在每件事上，我們都需要強壯的心，聖經應許我們可以擁有的方式是「等候主」。等候需要耐心，等候主表明我們把自己託付給祂的重要性。 

 (摘自喬納word for the week, Week 42, 2021)
 

Follow the King, Part 12

         Last week I shared how many times I had missed the Lord and His will for my life because of my impatience. Since I asked Him to help me with this, I have had daily challenges to my patience and often many each day. I am also starting to expect daily encounters with the Lord, or some other special purpose encounter. 

         Learning to embrace challenges to my patience has another significant result. The stress monitor on my watch shows that most days I am now living in a range of 20 or more points below what is considered “low stress.” I wonder how many years I could have added to my life had I learned this when I first met the Lord at age twenty-one instead of waiting till I was seventy-one?  

         The effect of this in other areas, such as my ability to control my anger and frustration, is huge. I now have people who have worked for me for many years who have never seen me angry. However, that is because I tend to internalize things, which can be worse for stress levels, which many consider a good health barometer. 

         As I realize how many times I have missed the Lord because of my impatience, and how much richer, more fulfilling, and fruitful my fifty plus years of knowing the Lord could have been, I am resolved to learn patience as my primary form of devotion. I know love is the greatest fruit of the Spirit, but I have also seen how much I fail to love when I demonstrate impatience. 

         I feel like I have had the best life. The encounters and experiences I have had with the Lord are far more and far greater than I ever thought I could have. I have been blessed with some of the best friends and coworkers. I wake up every day with excitement and go to sleep with joy I did not know existed even a few years ago. Yet I am still appalled to realize how much my impatience has cost me in life, which gives me even more resolve to not waste another opportunity.  

         This new revelation on the importance of patience should have been obvious to me as a new believer. I’m embarrassed it took me half a century to see this, but that again is the result of impatience. I am sharing this with you, so you will not make the mistakes I have. How much more powerful would the body of Christ be if we were now walking in the faith and patience required to inherit the promises? Just consider how extraordinary God’s promises are to those who will “wait upon” Him.  

         In Psalm 27:14 we are told, “Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage, and He will strengthen your heart.” How much could we benefit from having a stronger heart? As troubles grow in the world, the prophecy is coming true that men’s hearts will fail them for fear of the things coming upon the world. We need strong hearts for almost everything, and the way we are promised to have one is to “wait on the Lord.” Waiting takes patience. Waiting on Him demonstrates the importance we give to Him.