by Desiree Bustamante

Patient endurance is the recipe to become like Christ.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking this SoundCloud Link.

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”
Philippians 1:6 New Living Translation

This bean pot was for sale in a thrift store in Iowa. It’s exactly like the one my mother had when I was a child. She made some tasty beans in that pot. To make beans from scratch is a long process. Because they start out as hard inedible legumes, the process to make them edible is not a quick one. First, you sort through them to pick out any small stones. Then some recipes call for soaking them overnight, adding them to the pot with the right amount of water and spices and letting them cook for hours until the beans are soft. It takes some patience and strictly following a good recipe to produce a tasty, nutritious bean dish.

“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”
Ephesians 4:13 New Living Translation

Our hearts were hard until Christ chose us as His children. Now he refines us each day to become more like Him. It’s quite a process and Christ’s good work won’t be finished until His return. But take heart and have patience, because Christ has patience with you. He wants us all to be mature in the Lord, to stand strong as we strive to become more like Him, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.”
Hebrews 10:36 New Living Translation

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado