December 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Reaeings:

Galatians 4:4-5, King James Version:
⁴But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
⁵To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Galatians 4:4-5, English Standard Version:
⁴But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

Galatians 5:22-23, KJV:
²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23, ESV:
²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Colossians 1:9-14, KJV:
⁹For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
¹⁰That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
¹¹Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
¹²Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
¹³Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Colossians 1:9-14, ESV:
⁹And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. ¹¹May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, ¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 3:12-14, KJV:
¹²Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
¹³Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
¹⁴And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
Colossians 3:12-14, ESV:
¹²Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

1 Peter 3:18-20, KJV:
¹⁸For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
¹⁹By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
²⁰Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing....
1 Peter 3:18-20, ESV:
¹⁸For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, ¹⁹in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, ²⁰because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared....

2 Peter 3:9, KJV:
⁹The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9, ESV:
⁹The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter 3:15, KJV:
¹⁵And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you....
2 Peter 3:15, ESV:
¹⁵And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him....

Devotional:

This age in which we live has been characterized as the "age of speed." Our forefathers would be lost in the rush of modern life, it is said. Of course there is nothing wrong in trying to improve our means of transportation and communication. But we are deceiving ourselves if we think that speed is a substitute for or a guarantee of stability. Indeed, impatience sometimes indicates a lack of stability; it is a symptom of dissatisfaction and unrest.

The person who is always on the move, never settled for a moment of meditation and calm reflection, often looks upon activity as an end or goal of life. As Ruskin once wrote, "There's no music in a 'rest,' but there's the making of music in it. And people are always missing that part of the life melody, always talking of perseverance and courage and fortitude; but patience is the finest and worthiest part of fortitude, and the rarest, too&mdsh;"

How impatient were the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ with His announcement that suffering and death were to precede His exaltation. They would have had the kingdom set up on earth and making progress in ruling and subduing the nations for the Messiah without the Cross of Calvary. But Jesus looked upon that suggestion as coming from the Evil One. Let the disciples of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world learn that all things must be done "in the fullness of time." Christ's hour had not yet come. The Father could wait; speed was not necessary to Him who made time. There is no deadline which God must meet. Since all the parts of His plan of salvation fit together, each phase will he brought to pass when He so wills.

So the Christian must learn from God's example of longsuffering. He must be patient and considerate of those who are weak in faith and those who are still unbelieving. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsnffcring, gentleness, goodness, faith"

(Galatians 5:22). Even in respect to the defeat of His enemies, the eradication of all sin from his nature, and the closing of the mouths of those who preach false doctrine, and the repudiation of those who despitefully use him, the believer must be longsuffering. God was longsuffering in the days of Noah, but when the time for judgment came, destruction was the portion of those who ignored God. To be ent is to possess a Christian virtue.

But lest someone equate patience with tolerance of evil, let it be said that no Christian should ever stand idly by and fail to condemn the wrong. God proclaimed His displeasure with the sin of men who lived in those one hundred twenty years before the flood. For Noah was a preacher of righteousness. God does not look with complacency upon the world which He has made and which has turned its back upon Him. God is longsuffering to usward. He is not fearful of the possibility that evil may triumph, and He would not have us uneasy about the rise of evil men and their success.

To those who are accustomed to speed, the processes of the gathering in of the elect and their sanctification seem quite slow. Men would try expedients not countenanced by Scripture, but the God of Noah's day will not be rushed, nor can we expect His full blessing unless we be patient.

We are very happy to make available to you this month these devotionals by the late Rev. LeRoy B. Oliver. They originally appeared in The Presbyerian Guardian during the late 1940's.

The description of his "Your Family Altar" page in The Presbyterian Guardian also fits this Web page: "The page is designed for both private and family use, whichever is most convenient in your case. If you do not have family worship in your home, we hope you will begin, and suggest using these readings. They should not, however, take the place of reading books of the Bible, or the Bible itself, through in regular course." It is those who abide (continue) in the Word who are truly Christ's disciples, who know the truth, and who experience freedom in Him (John 8:31-32). May these devotionals be used for the building up of God's people and to the glory of God.