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By Pastor Tim Hodge

            There have been times that I have been quite entertained by my kids when it came time for patience and self-control to be demonstrated.  Have you ever noticed that kids have a hard time “waiting” at special seasons such as birthdays, Christmas, and any other instances where gifts are involved?  When I was a child I was one of those who just could not wait.  I would rather take a beating than wait!  In fact, the last year I remember my mom put some gifts for me under our Christmas tree I hounded her so bad about wanting them early that she finally gave in out of sheer frustration – with one stipulation: I would have to get a “whipping” if I got them early.  I took the whipping.  I just could not wait.

            Well, I thank God that over the decades that followed He has taught me a lot about a thing called “TIME” and some things just are not going to come quickly!  Period… end of story!

            However, the populace of America is “INSTANT-MINDED”.  Microwaves have been a tremendous blessing to us, but also a tremendous curse.  Now we want everything in just a few minutes.  I’m about to clip the big 40 years of age in August (though I still feel 16 on the inside… just sometimes my inside and my outside don’t agree).  I remember what it was like to come home on Sunday nights and mom would pull out all the leftovers, fire up the burners and the oven to warm up the food.  Instead of slapping a plate in the microwave for a couple of minutes you had to wait almost as long as it took to originally cook the food.  What about those instant potato flakes?  They are alright, but they can’t contend with pot of homemade cream potatoes.  And, have you tried one of those microwaveable burritos or pizzas?  How do you spell “flavored cardboard”?  Yuck!

            Yet, our society likes it quick.  Quick books, quick lessons, quick degrees, quick grits, get rich quick, and on and on and on.

            The downside of this “INSTANT-MINDED” ideology is that it breeds great starters, but little to no FINISHERS!  Ecclesiastes 9:11 contains this statement: “The race does not go to the swift!”  The winner is not the person who had the greatest form or speed coming out of the gates, but it goes to the person who perseveres to FINISH STRONG and cross the line.  COMPLETION!  FINISH STRONG!  These are traits not heard of very often in our society.

            I must be honest with you here.  America has a breed of humanity that it has never seen before.  It is a breed of quitters.  They give up on marriage.  They give up on their kids.  They give up on their jobs and careers.  They give up on their finances (bankruptcy has increased 50% over the past three (3) years).  They give up on church (75% of churches in America have either plateaued or declined in the past 10 years).

            In generations gone by there were lessons taught by life that are not learned now.  One great example is the law of “Sowing and Reaping”.  Some elements of our society still learn this.  I remember as a little boy growing up in McColl, SC a town with two stoplights (actually 1.5 because at midnight one of them would switch to a flashing yellow light).  My maternal grandmother and my uncles would plant a garden every year.  I remember watching them get the ground ready.  When I was real young I remember my uncle borrowed a mule.  Later they would get a tiller… for you city-slickers that’s a thing about the size of a lawnmower, but it churns (tills) up the ground.  To operate one is like fighting a dragon in hand-to-hand combat.  They would plant beans, peas, squash, okra, cucumbers and all types of vegetables.  When I got old enough I’d help in the garden.  We would go and pull or hoe weeds that would try to grow up and choke the plants.  We would have to watch for bugs and if the little suckers were eating the leaves we would get this little canvas bag with sevin-dust in it and shake it over the plants so the dust would get onto the leaves and get rid of the pesky pests trying to rob us of our harvest.  Finally, after weeks and weeks of work the plants would be ready to pick.

            Let’s use the butter beans for example (because those were my favorite things to eat in the garden).  When you picked the beans you didn’t just run through the rows of plants and just start grabbing.  You had to GET DOWN, STOOP OVER, pull the leaves back and find the pods that were filled out and were ripe.  You see, all of the beans were not ready at the same time.  You could go back a week later and pick beans again.  A few days later and do it again.  After you picked a “mess” (that means a good bit in the country) we would all sit under my grandma’s sycamore tree in the swing and the old metal lawn chairs and begin shelling beans.  For those of you who have never done this let me tell you: this is a time of family bonding.  You just sit there talking about anything and everything while meticulously shelling these beans.  Beans and peas were rough because they always made my thumbnails sore from prying open those pods.

            Take everything I’ve just explained to you and it teaches you PATIENCE in TIME!  The process I just explained to you would sometimes take months.

            The majority of our generation today has a different idea of speckled butter beans.  If they want beans they run into their local grocery store, grab a one-dollar bag of beans, and head home to cook them.  That may take them ten minutes and they have no idea the effort that went into getting that bag of beans to them; therefore, they don’t know how to APPRECIATE THE PROCESS.

            With all of our “INSTANT-MINDED” conveniences we are sapped of the ability to WAIT on some things and to WORK toward some things.

            Let me give some examples from the Bible.  Abraham was 75 years old when God promised him that he would be the father of a nation.  At that time Old Abe was childless and his wife was just ten years younger than himself (65).  Abraham held onto this promise for 25 more years until he finally held Isaac in his arms.  He was 100 and his wife was 90 at the birth of Isaac.  Joseph had dreams of being in authority and his family being subject to him.  From the time of his dreams until his brothers bowed before him as their leader there was a span of approximately 20 years.  Those 20 years held some great big highs and some very dark lows for Joseph.  Nonetheless, the promise came to pass.  Samuel, the prophet, anointed David to be the next king of Israel.  David was 15 years old when this happened (according to the McClintock/Strong Encyclopedia).  David was not anointed by the NATION as its king until he was 37 years-old.  Do the math: 22 years.  Nine of those years he was being hunted for his life as a fugitive.

            The greatest example is God!  He waited thousands of years to redeem man, but as Galatians 4:4 states: “…at the right time, God sent His Son….”  Then, when Jesus came into the earth He still waited 33 years to die on the cross.  The “TIME” had to be right!

            Can we have a Kodak moment?  Can we get transparent and let our true colors come shining through?  Abe waited 25 years.  Joseph waited 20 years.  Dave waited 22 years.  Most Americans will not wait on a promise from God for 25 days.  Forget 25 weeks or 25 months.  25 years – GOD FORBID!!!!

            What time is it in your life friend?  Have you been waiting on some promises from God?  Have you thrown the latest tele-evangelist’s microwaveable promise into the Americanized Faith Cooker only to find out that this junk doesn’t work and if you try to ingest it that it is just too much to swallow.  Yuck.  Have you given up?

            Can I encourage you?  Some things you are going to have to wait years for.  I know you may be saying, “No, Pastor Tim, that is not encouraging!  Please stop.”  Can I tell you something: GROW UP!  When I became a man I put away childish things (1 Corinthians 13:11).  Destiny will not develop overnight.  Destiny takes time.  It cannot be microwaved or put into a hot air oven or introduced to your spiritual George Foreman Grill.  It may take years or decades for your destiny to form, but I believe it can unfold in a day.  I call that same day fame.  Joseph started his day off as a prisoner and by the time the sun had set he was the second most powerful man in the world!  David began one of his days as an obscure little shepherd boy making some deliveries for his father.  Before the sun had set he had killed a giant and had become a national hero.

            What time is it in your life friend?

            Are you patiently waiting for your destiny to unfold?  Have you been through some great high places in life?  Have you waded through some terrible lows?  Have you seen the shadow of death sneaking around in the crevices of your life?  Have you felt the thrill of victory as God’s grace allowed you to overcome some great obstacle?

            Then there are those who gave up too quick.  Those who allowed their faith to be molded by their society and if they couldn’t sprinkle water on their “chia-god” and come in the next morning to find fruits of the labor they got discouraged.  It amazes me how some people spent decades getting themselves in debt and get disgruntled with God if He doesn’t cancel their debts in a few weeks or months.  Can He cancel debt?  Sure He can.  However, He is more concerned about building YOU up instead of building your WORTH up.  In fact, in God’s eyes I believe your character and your faith have greater value than your portfolio ever could.

            What time is it in your life?

            Are you waiting in front of your spiritual microwave waiting for the ding of promised potential?  Or, are you a bold, history-making saint who has been a spiritual crock-pot for God and EVERY promise He has given you has been simmering in your heart of hearts?

            What time is it in your life?

            If today is not the revelation of my significance before men then I trust the Lord to use this day to mold me yet more into His grand design.  When my “right time” comes he will unveil me as a man who persevered to cross the finish line of faithfulness.  I may not be the quickest, but I will arrive!  By His grace!  What about you?