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The Art of Delayed Gratification (Part 2)
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by Kelly McDonald, Jr.
ow do we “hang in there” while we wait to reach the finish line? The Bible gives us some clues to help us understand the truth of the matter.
One part of the Fruit of the Spirit is patience. It is better
We must trust God. Sometimes, we must wait a few moments; sometimes, we must wait years. In Galatians 6:9, Paul wrote: “Let us not be weary in doing good, for we will reap in due season, if we do not give
translated as endurance or perseverance. We are not simply
up.” The Greek word translated as “weary” means to be
“waiting” for His promise to come to pass. In the English
spiritless, exhausted, or have a bad attitude. It is easy for any
language, waiting is an idle attitude that passes time in an-
of us to become exhausted in waiting for a promise to come
ticipation. Perseverance is continuing to obey God and seek
to pass. One key to keep us from losing heart in the wait-
Him until the promise actualizes.
ing season is to remember WHO made the promise. GOD
“But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew
ALMIGHTY made the promise! This means that He WILL bring it to pass! He has never failed, and His faithfulness is never in question. A major key to guarding yourself from getting weary is to recall His previous and current goodness in your life. God has done so much for all of us. When the children of Israel were in the desert, they often complained. They forgot God’s past faithfulness—He sent 10 plagues to devastate Egypt (Israel was protected from seven of them), parted the Red Sea, and delivered them from Pharaoh’s army. A second key to avoiding weariness in the waiting season is to stay about our Father’s business. In Luke 19, Jesus gave the Parable of the Minas. It was about working until the Lord returns. In it, the
6:33). When are waiting to receive a promise from God, we
master told the servants, “Conduct business until I come”
should always continue to seek God’s will and not our own.
(Luke 19:13). Jesus has commissioned each of us with some-
We should not try to twist the situation to fit our perception
thing to do for His Kingdom. What gifts and talents has God
of God’s will.
given you? Are you using them? If we will spend time in
Abram and Sarai thought that having the baby through
service to God, it will help us as we anticipate the promise.
Hagar might fulfill the promise. Had they sought the King-
God will help you learn the art of delayed gratification.
dom first, they would have realized that their actions were have the baby). The promise still came to pass for Abram and Sarai. For others in the Bible, such as Saul, it did not.
30 // March 2020
About The Author
not true to the original promise (Sarai was told SHE would Kelly McDonald, Jr. is an international evangelist with Hungry Hearts Ministries and pastors a church in Cleveland. He has written a combined total of 40 books and booklets on pursuing a deeper relationship with Jesus. www.hungryheartsministry.com.
