Tell lies & truthful statements. Have them distinguish if you are lying or telling the truth. This is great to use with young children who need help recognizing a lie from the truth. Then, make an honesty cost & reward jot chart.
What are some rewards for telling the truth? good reputation, good conscience, obeying God, peace of mind, etc.
What are some costs for telling a lie? worry about getting caught, bigger punishment, hurts other people, not trusted, may lie mre, compounds your sin, etc.
Make a list together. Go back to the list before a child is asked to tell the truth to serve as a reminder.
III John 1:4
"I have no greater joy that to hear that my children are walking in th truth." III John 1:4
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
It's Caught & It's Taught---Honesty
It’s Caught!
The world lives & breathes with lies. They lie to themselves. They lie to each other. They especially lie if it gets them something they want or keeps them out of trouble. Unfortunately, our children are made with the same tendencies. “Benjamin, who broke the lamp in the living room?” “Not me!”
Teaching truthfulness means to go against the grain; to go against your child’s instincts. “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.” Psalms 58:3 (NIV)
Benjamin lied about not breaking the lamp because he feared punishment. He was protecting himself! Some adults do the same thing.
“Is everything ok, Honey?” You say “Yes, dear!” as you grumble & storm away! Of course he should know that you are mad that he failed to hang up his wet towel AGAIN! You storm around for 2 days until you finally lambaste your husband with all of your irritations all-the-while he has had no clue that you were upset about anything.
Or perhaps your wife has just come home from a shopping trip. She was picking out a new dress to wear to your employer’s Christmas party. “What do you think, Dear?” You say “It looks great!” even though you hate the color, wish it was a little less revealing, & think it is way over budget. You keep your comments to yourself because you don’t want to deal with a possible argument. Later, at the party you get irritated when other men notice the way her dress fits too!
“God, help me to be a person of truth, grounded in your truth. Help me to stand on your truth when the world around me denies you and your truth. May I defeat the lies of the enemy with truth and may truth always come from my lips.” –Pastor John Blodgett (from his series on Spiritual Warfare at First Baptist Church of Elkhart in July 2010)
Honesty should be a part of how you deal with anyone from your spouse, to your children, to your friends & especially unbelievers! Since the world feeds lies, as does Satan, you should be representing God as a truthful God. Remember that the church is the guardian of truth (I Timothy 3:15).
Let me go just a little farther with honesty. God’s Word is truth (John 17:17)! I am sure you agree! Of course you know His Word is also powerful. In fact, I Timothy 3:16 & 17 says that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We are made complete by the Word of God. It is powerful to do all of these things because it is truth! Honesty is not just refraining from lies, but is using God’s Truth in everything we do! What I mean is that you should be revealing or making known what God has said.
Let’s say that your child is gossiping (another thing that is often untruthful) about a friend to another one of his/her friends. You overhear the conversation. What should you do? If you are rooted in truth, you can use the sword of the Spirit, God’s Word, so that God can make your child more complete & equipped for every good work. Allow the truth of Proverbs 18:7 & 8, which says “The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips. Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart,” to work in your child’s life! If you have already learned or explained the verse to your child, that’s great! If not, take the time to talk about it. Don’t be afraid to even explain it in front of the other child either! Remember, who your child associates with will influence them greatly, so any influence you can have on them will benefit your child too!
Don’t be surprised if you are also held to this standard by your child. BE CAREFUL!! Remember that God’s Word is doing the work, not the person sharing it. Allowing your child to do this can sometimes become a respect issue though. I would suggest that you evaluate the maturity & age of the child before giving permission for this to occur. If you do allow this, they need to know that they can come to you, but must do it in an honoring way. When it is child to parent, this should be done in private & you might need to help them learn how to say it in a loving way.
When we are honest to those around us & allow God’s truth to permeate all that we do, we will show our children that God’s Word is the living word that works in us & through us. Remember IT’S CAUGHT & TAUGHT!! Let’s take a look at how we might also teach honesty to our children.
It’s Taught!
Let’s go back to the case where Benjamin just broke the lamp in the living room. Before I talk about what has just happened, this is what I would have done:
1) QUOTE SCRIPTURE!
“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.” Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)
2) TEACH!
“Benjamin, before we talk about this I want to remind you that lying is sin. God detest or hates lying & so do I. I expect you to be truthful in what I am about to ask you. You will get into more trouble if you are not truthful with me. Do you understand?”
I would then begin to ask detailed questions about what happened. “I see that the lamp is broken. Were you kicking the soccer ball in the living room? Did you knock it over?”
In most cases you will not be totally sure what all the truth is, so make sure to listen to what your child says. If you have an idea of what happened & it seems that they are lying, use the facts of what you see to explain what it looks like happened. “It seems that you were playing with your soccer ball in the living room & your you accidentally kicked the ball into the lamp. I see your ball has some broken pieces on it.”
At that point, if Ben still denies that he knocked over the lamp, ask if he is lying. In this case, it is pretty clear that Ben knocked over the lamp. I would punish him for kicking his soccer ball in the living room which is not accepted in our house & he would receive another, more severe, punishment for lying.
However, if I could not pinpoint exactly what happened & Ben denies his involvement, I would handle it differently. I would tell him “it seems that you might have broken the lamp, but God knows if you are lying. Let’s quote Proverbs 12:22 together…Are you lying to me?...Ok. I am not going to punish you because I expect you to be honest with me. If you change your mind on what happened, you need to come talk to me!”
3) PRAY!
Ben let’s pray about this together. Let’s ask God to help us to speak the truth in all circumstances. You also need to ask God for forgiveness for lying.
Friday, November 5, 2010
November's virtue: Honesty
DEFINTION: choosing to tell the truth in words & actions
MEMORY VERSE: "The Lord detests (hates) lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful." Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)
CONNECTION: wear a belt (regular belt buckle or seat belt) to remind us to "put on" & use God's truth
(a connection is a visual reminder of the virtue)
http://www.sugardoodle.net/sdclipart/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/august08_20.jpg |
SYNONYMS: sincere, truthful, open, direct, straightforward, genuine
God will judge according to His Truth: “they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.” Psalms 96:13 (NIV)
“But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.” Romans 2:2 (KJV)
God’s Word is Truth:
“Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” John 17:17 (NIV)
God wants us to speak truth:
“These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts” Zechariah 8:16 (NIV)
“Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25 (ESV)
“He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart” Psalms 15:2 (NIV)
“But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.” James 5:12 (NKJV)
God wants us to think truthful thoughts:
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8 (NKJV)
Telling the truth shows love:
“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” I John 3:18 (NIV)
The Holy Spirit is Truth:
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” John 16:13 (ESV)
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” John 14:16, 17 (NASB)
Jesus is truth:
“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus came to speak truth:
“Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37b (NIV)
The Church is the guardian of truth:
“so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.” I Timothy 3:15 (NLT)
God expects us to be rooted in truth:
“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” Psalms 51:6 (NIV)
Leaders should be honest:
“For kings, and all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” I Timothy 2:2 (KJV)
ANTONYMS: untruthful, dishonest, lies, fabrication, deception
Changing the story of how something happened is a lie:
“A truthful witness gives honest testimony, but a false witness tells lies.” Proverbs 12:17 (NIV)
“A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” Proverbs 14:5 (NIV)
God hates Lying:
“The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.” Proverbs 12:22 (NIV)
“Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another. Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:11-12 (NIV)
God can not lie:
“in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,” Titus 1:2 (NASB)
Lying makes company with other sins:
“Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning.” Jeremiah 9:5 (NIV)
"They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge me," declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:3 (NIV)
“But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:8 (NKJV)
The Devil is a liar:
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 (NASB)
BIBLE STORIES/LESSONS
+ Adam & Eve (Genesis 3:1-19)—the serpent lied to Eve & led her to sin; this caused the fall of all mankind; this necessitated redemption by Christ; honesty is the only policy
+ Abram lies about Sarai (Genesis 12:11-19; 20:2-18)—lying diminishes the character of a great man
+ Joseph’s brother’s lie to Jacob (Genesis 37; 45)—When you’re not truthful, you hurt the people you should care about the most
+ Haman’s plot (Esther 3; 4:8; 5:6-10; 7:1-6,9-10)—Lying to hurt someone else really hurts YOU
+ David lies about Bathsheba (II Samuel 11-12)—lying led to murder; he was punished with the death of his son
+ Judas’ dishonesty (Matthew 26; 27:1-5 & John 12:3-6)—You can lie so much you forget what really matters
+ Jesus & Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10)—truthfulness builds friendships; dishonesty tears them down
+ The Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18)—belt of truth
Optional definitions for Honesty
-telling the WHOLE truth
-being straightforward with your words
-telling the truth in LOVE
Saturday, October 30, 2010
JELL-O Teaches Patience
Show the difference of waiting. Prepare the JELL-O mixture & pour it onto a cookie sheet. The sloshy, unset JELL-O cookie sheet represents an impatient person. Try to cut it with a cookie cutter. You can't do anything with it. Impatience is ugly & easily broken.
If you are dong an object lesson in front of a group:
Prepare 2 cookie sheets of JELL-O. One cookie sheet will be sloshy & not set. The other should be fully set. Use the same discussion as above.
Place the tray into the fridge or freezer to allow it to harden.
The well hardened JELL-O represents a patient person. Start making JELL-O jigglers. When we are patient, God can use us, mold us & form us more into His image.
http://brands.kraftfoods.com/jello/recipe.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&wf=9&recipe_id=53920 |
Prepare 2 cookie sheets of JELL-O. One cookie sheet will be sloshy & not set. The other should be fully set. Use the same discussion as above.
Friday, October 29, 2010
SORRY!
Nothing tested my patience as much as some of my childhood favorite board games like SORRY! or Popomatic Trouble! Many different board games would suffce for this lesson, but I find these games require you to set aside the feeling of unfairness & show love & patience.
It is easy to get to get impatient & even lose your temper when frustration arises. Talk about the verses before you start playing. Encourage them to be patient & loving towards their friends/siblings.
Here are some suggested verses:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”
I Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.”
Proverbs 14:29 (NIV)
“A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”
Proverbs 15:18 (NIV)
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Saving Jar Patience
Saving money is another lesson of patience & responsibility.
Plan with your child what they want to save $$ for. Make a plan with them on how long they plan to save & how much they will need weekly to add to their jar to succeed with their plan. This is also a good time to talk about tithing to the Lord & the importance of giving a portion to the church.
I saw this jar on a website & thought this was a great idea for a family project too.
Find an empty can or jar to save change in. Cut a piece of 2" construction paper. Pre-measure around your can. Write a verse about patience on it & attach it around the can/jar. If you have a smooth jar, you can also paint the words onto it with acrylic paint & then seal it. I chose Ecclesiastes 7:8 because it is hard to begin savings, but in the end it is worth it.
Plan with your child what they want to save $$ for. Make a plan with them on how long they plan to save & how much they will need weekly to add to their jar to succeed with their plan. This is also a good time to talk about tithing to the Lord & the importance of giving a portion to the church.
I saw this jar on a website & thought this was a great idea for a family project too.
http://www.takethemonorail.com/2009/08/vacation-saving-jars.html |
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Cooking Patience with Bread & Resurrection Cookies
Cooking is another everyday part of our homes that teaches great patience. Really you can use any cooking scenerio that you want. I suggest baking some bread. During the process you have to allow it to rise several times & then let it bake. Try some of the dough each time it rises. Then, try a piece of warm bread & reinforce how important it is to wait. It is a long process, but worth it! Here is a recipe that was given to me by a friend. They are the most delicious rolls I have ever tasted!
You could also read The Little Red Hen to get the point across about waiting & the reward of hard work.
There are several websites with ideas in using The Little Red Hen:
Lessons for Preschoolers & Kindergartners
The Little Red Hen picture & word story
Literacy ideas
I also suggest making Resurrection Cookies during Easter time. This recipe not only teaches on the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but also teaches the idea of patience as you wait to open the "tomb".
You could also read The Little Red Hen to get the point across about waiting & the reward of hard work.
There are several websites with ideas in using The Little Red Hen:
Lessons for Preschoolers & Kindergartners
The Little Red Hen picture & word story
Literacy ideas
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Pottery Patience
Craft & sewing projects are a great way to teach patience. I suggest painting a family project at a local pottery place like Pottery Schmottery. One year all of my students painted pieces of the Nativity Scene.
When you are doing a painting project, you have to be patient with planning your piece's colors, waiting for each color to dry, cleaning your brush, carefully painting each part & then allowing it to go through the kilning process.
kids collage picture from The Pottery House in Matawan, NJ
kids pottery class picture from The Sawmill Pottery in Putnam, CT
plate picture/logo for Pottery Schmottery in Elkhart, IN
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Chiquita Banana Patience
Buy some unripe fruit, like bananas. Take a permanent marker & write a verse on the peel. Watch & be patient while you wait for the banana to ripen. Discuss how it would taste if you didn't wait for it to ripen. It is always better to wait!
Bible verse suggestions:
Bible verse suggestions:
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Minute to Win It Patience
A lot of the Minute to Win It games require a lot of patience & perseverance. Check out NBC's website for all of the game directions & ideas. You can use YouTube.com videos of the game instructions if you want.
Here are some game suggestions (YouTube.com directions):
- Caddy Stack (stacking golf balls---V)
- High Strung (transferring a raw egg with a rubber band---H)
- Separation Anxiety (separate M&M's---E)
- Stack Attack (stacking cups---E)
- Breakfast Scramble (cereal box puzzle---E)
- By A Thread (threading needles---M)
- The Nutstacker (stacking hardware nuts---V)
- Beach Tennis (playing tennis with scuba flippers & a ping pong ball---M)
- Candelier (stacking paper plates & empty soda cans---H)
V---Very Hard
H---Hard
M---Medium
E---as Easy as it gets
Thursday, September 30, 2010
October Virtue: Patience
DEFINTION: waiting until later without complaint
MEMORY VERSE: “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” Romans 8:25 (ESV)
CONNECTION: the ocean or beach that reminds us to relax & not be in such a hurry!
(a connection is a visual reminder of the virtue)
SYNONYMS: self-control, stoicism, composure, calmness,
tranquility, peace, perseverance
We are commanded to be patient: “Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (NIV)
We can set our mind to be patient: “A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)
Patience is the result of God’s Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:10-12 (NIV)
We need patience despite our circumstances:“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12 (NIV)
“Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” 2 Corinthians 6:4-10 (NIV)
“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.” 2 Timothy 3:10, 11 (NIV)
Persistence & patience go together: “With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue will break a bone.” Proverbs 25:15 (ESV)
“The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 (NIV)
-stated above- Romans 8:25 (ESV)
Love & patience go together: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” I Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
Faith & patience go together: “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.”And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6:11-15 (NASB)
“Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.” James 5:7-8 (NIV)
“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.” James 5:10-11 (ESV)
"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalms 37:7 (NIV)
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.” Psalms 40:1 (NIV)
“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Luke 8:15 (ESV)
The Lord is patient unto salvation: “You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?” Romans 2:1-4 (NIV)
“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.” 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV)
“Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.” 2 Peter 3:15 (NIV)
The Lord is patient with His wrath to show His power: “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? …What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?” Romans 9: 17-20, 22 (NASB)
eager, longing, yearning (for ungodly things)
Anger & impatience go together: “A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” Proverbs 14:29 (NIV)
“A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.” Proverbs 15:18 (NIV)
Complaining & impatience go together: “They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"” Numbers 21:4-5 (NIV)
God punishes eagerness in ungodly things, such as riches: “A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.” Proverbs 28:20 (NIV)
“A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.” Proverbs 28:22 (NIV)
BIBLE STORIES/LESSONS
Abraham waits for a son (Genesis 15:1-6; 18:1-15; 21:1-7)—Abraham waits on the LORD’s promises for an heir. Isaac is born at his old age.
Esau & his birthright (Genesis 25:24-34)—Esau trades his birthright for food that Jacob has prepared because he is too impatient to do it himself
Jacob waits for a wife (Genesis 29)—Jacob waits 7 years to marry his love, Rachel.
Rachel waits for a son (Genesis 29:1-15; 30:1-24)—Rachel watches Leah conceive. She gives Jacob her maidservant, Bilhah. Rachel has her first son Joseph after many years of waiting.
Joseph waited on the Lord’s timing (Gen 37, 38-47)—Joseph waits through being sold, Potiphar’s Wife’s lies, the Baker & Cupbearer’s forgetfulness & then reuniting with his family.
Hannah waits for a son (I Samuel 1:1-20)—Hannah prays fervently for her first child. Eli prays for her request. Samuel is born to her & Elkanah the next year.
Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18: 21-35)—We must forgive no matter how many times it takes for the Lord is patient with us.
Waiting for Jesus’ return (James 5:7-11)—Waiting for Jesus’ coming is compared to a farmer who waits for his crops to bear fruit.
-tolerance for delay
-waiting when you want it now
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