WHEN I think of patience, I think of Maisie and Alf. Alf's mother had come to live with them. She was a nice old lady, but she was very demanding. Maisie looked after her well for many years, but it was not an easy task. Occasionally the problems would get her down.

She told me on one occasion that she often prayed for greater patience. It never seemed to do any good, however. The situation only got worse and worse. The old lady got more and more cantankerous. Maisie was at her wit's end.

Then she began to realise that her prayer was being answered by her circumstances. God does not give us patience on a plate. Christian virtues are not handed out like that. We have to learn patience. Through their worsening circumstances, Alf and Maisie were being taught patience.

God Teaches Us Like Children
Life sometimes has to be like that. If we truly love our children we shall teach and train them. It is for their sakes. We want them to grow up to be liked. We want them to have nice children. As a wise Father, God treats His children in that way.

There are times when suffering comes into the life of the Christian. It is not a sign that God has ceased to love us. Think of what our Lord Jesus Christ suffered. Such things may be essential for our development. God may see them as a necessary part of our training.

Baptism is a commitment to the will of God. There is no little switch on the human mind that can change its thinking overnight. We shall need to change, to become more like God in our ways. Being different from others around us can be hard work. We shall need to work at it.

Sometimes we shall find ourselves going back to the old routines. That is why Bible reading and prayer are important parts of the new life in Christ. We shall need continually the influence of God's word to remind us of His ways.

Reading and Prayer
It is a good idea to establish a regular pattern for reading and for prayer. Some recent statistics suggested that a surprisingly large number of people pray. I wonder how many of those are prepared to listen to God through the Bible. Unless we are willing to lend an ear to what God has said to us, our prayer may be in vain.

Sin does not block prayer. There may be occasions when we feel unable to pray. There may be times when we feel so bad that we do not imagine that God will hear us. Yet there is always a way back if we are truly sorry.

If, however, we always want to talk, we become like precocious children. Why should God hear us then, if we are not willing to listen to what He has to say through the Bible?

"One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer shall be an abomination."
(Proverbs 28:9)

Some suggestions were made in an earlier chapter on how to get started. This verse shows the necessity of reading frequently. It is hard to stress too much the importance of hearing God's word through the pages of Scripture.

Prayer, too needs thought and care. It is no light thing to come into the presence of the Almighty God. His majesty and holiness are easily overlooked. We live in a world where there are fewer and fewer things receiving our respect. Men are apt to become over-familiar. Familiarity breeds contempt. Attitudes to God and His word become sloppy.

The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's prayer is the supreme pattern. It begins with worship and praise. It puts God in His proper place - first. It reminds us that He is a perfect parent. He is in heaven, far above us in His ways and thoughts.
Then the prayer seeks God's kingdom and His will. It is impossible to pray for this unless we are willing to do His will ourselves. That puts things in perspective.

It is in that context that Jesus then taught us to pray for daily bread. Our wants are to be governed by our desire for God's will in our own lives. Our prayers will become less of a "shopping list". We shall more readily identify with what God wants for us. He knows what is best.
Guidance is then asked as we make our way through the day. Forgiveness too needs to be sought. The prayer concludes by acknowledging God again.

A New Beginning
The two-way communication of reading and prayer is vital. By these we may grow to be more like our Lord. Baptism is only a beginning. The new-born Christian needs to cultivate the fruit of the Christian life. In answer God will bless him and guide his path. God is still at work today. If He controls the nations, He is well able to keep and help us.

Growth requires the right environment. When our son reached his teens he grew very fast. We did not see him growing, but we knew he was shooting up because his trousers always seemed to be at half-mast! Every time we turned round, he had almost grown out of them again!
Growth is like that. You don't see it, but you see the evidence of it. It takes place unnoticed where the conditions are right.

The Bible provides the right background for growth. However, there are many things in the world that might stunt that growth. As well as having the right influences, it is sometimes necessary to remove the wrong ones. Feeding the plants in my garden makes the weeds grow stronger too. They have to be dealt with firmly. They have to be taken out.
The Christian will see the need for separation from the world of Mr. Average. His aims are different. His aspirations are different. There will be pursuits he will judge unsuitable and places he will not wish to go. It is not a burden of having to give things up. It is rather the desire to be more closely related to things that are clean, wholesome and lasting.

The Head of The Church
It was for this reason that Jesus founded the church. The church is not the building, but the people. Jesus saw the need for us to live out his truth with others. He established the church so that people with the same aims may help one another. It is an environment for growing in a Godly way.

He is its head. The members are all part of his family. They are inter-related and inter-dependant. They are to work together in his service. They are far from perfect. They are human . Yet they have much to share in trying to use their lives to honour God.

That is really what this section of our book has been about. We have challenged many prevailing attitudes. Perhaps you have seen yourself in some of them. It is clear that some of them are not Godly, however. Christian really means "Christ's one", belonging to Christ. If we are serious about calling ourselves that, we shall need to stand apart from much in today's world.

We must question whether the world's obsessions with education, ambition and materialism are right. We must ask ourselves where we stand in relation to the morals of today.

We must ask ourselves what part the Bible plays in our lives. Accepting it as the word of God means giving it an important place. It is something precious. It is the right foundation for all faith and action. Sadly this may also mean standing aside from the teachings of other churches.

Decision Time
Life is short. It is a matter of urgency that we make the right use of it. It is vital to try and look at things from God's perspective, to understand life's purpose. It does matter what we believe. It does matter how we live.

We, as all others, are sinners. Without God we die an eternal death. By His mercy we could share a beautified and purified earth in His kingdom. It may sound unbelievably marvellous, but it is God who has promised.
It is a blessing to be able to put our trust in these things. We may commit ourselves through a baptism in which we understand and want to share Christ's sacrifice. We and our families may discover a new dimension to life. We may begin to grow as part of God's worldwide family.

There is just one problem ... yourself. And that enemy apathy who might just let you put this book away and do nothings
But you are not going to do that, are you?

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If you have enjoyed reading this book and would like to pursue your interest in the Bible, you could send for any of the following helps:

• A free 12 lesson correspondence course entitled "Foundations of Faith".

• 6 free issues of the magazine "Glad Tidings".
These, and the Bible Reading Planner mentioned , can be obtained by writing to:

Christadelphian A.L.S.,
FREEPOST, Birmingham B30 1BR,
England.

"Why does the Bible contain so much about the Jews?" "What are those obscure Old Testament books about?" "Why did one so good as Jesus have to be crucified?" "How can a book so old have any relevance today?" "What is the world coming to?" "Where will it all end?"

These and other challenging questions are squarely faced in The Bible, The Lord Jesus and You. The author's simple approach and terse style make this paperback both readable and stimulating.

Some common misconceptions are re-examined and modern attitudes tested against the true light of Bible teaching. The conclusions argue persuasively for a life more committed to the ways of God.

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