Youth Worship Service on Patience

We’ve been doing worship services on the different Fruits of the Spirit and this months was Patience. Here’s what we came up with:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46mrtRYMags
Hosanna – opening song – kind of loud

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBew65zSPK4&feature=related
The Freedom We Know

This month’s fruit of the spirit is Patience. God will put us in situations that test our patience because that’s how we get more patience. This happens with interruptions, inconvenience, irritation and inactivity. (or waiting) If you think about it we’re really the most impatient when we’re being selfish, because that’s when things are getting in the way of “my needs, my goals, my schedule.” So if we want to develop patience we need to look at things through a different perspective.

We need to know that we are not in control of most things that happen. We need to know that we can’t keep all the traffic lights green as we drive up to them, or the people in front of us in the check out line from asking questions or paying for what they’re buying with 500 pennies that they have to count out – twice!

We have to remember that we are only human. And we need to remember that everyone else is only human too.

Patience is a mark of maturity. And maturity gives us the ability to wait and live with delayed gratification.

It helps to develop a sense of humor. Humor dissolves tension. If you can laugh at it you can live with it. And than to look at things from a loving perspective. Love is patient.

When people irritate us, when bad things happen to us, and we praise God thru it all, if it’s Satan trying to get at us, he’ll eventually give up when he realizes he can’t penetrate the wall of praise around our life.

But, you can’t say, “I’m going to be patient if it kills me.” It’s not will power. Patience is a form of faith. It says, “I trust God. I believe that God is bigger than this problem. And I believe that God has His hand in these irritations and can use them in my life for good. So I’m going to wait and watch and see what He does with this.”

Right now there is a lot going on in the world that is testing our patience.

Kids don’t feel it that much because we adults do try to shield you from that kind of stress. But, this election and the direction our country is taking in so many areas, the stock market and people losing their savings, people losing their jobs and homes. It’s a very tough time.

Faith helps us look at life from God’s point of view. It helps us ask, “God, what do you want me to learn from this?” Instead of, “Why did this happen?”

Some people think all this financial stuff going on is a huge wake up call from God about the way many of us spend money. There was a lot of greed involved in the whole situation. Not just the banks and Wall Street, but the individual people who wanted to live lives they couldn’t afford to. Keeping up with the Joneses is just another way of coveting your neighbor.

As far as the country and its many problems is concerned, we’ve turned our backs on God over and over again. For over 200 years we’ve been a blessed nation because we gave Him credit. We put His names on things. We’re not doing that anymore. We’ve put other gods before Him.

But, the Bible says in 2nd Chronicles 7:14 “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

Noah had to wait 120 years for the promised rain to come. Abraham had to wait 100 years for a son. Moses waited 40 years in the desert and then another 40 years leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. Those are all long times to be patient! Look how long people waited for the Messiah to come. Look how long we’ve been waiting for Him to come back! The Bible is a book about waiting. Why? Because waiting demonstrates faith and faith pleases God.

The hardest kind of waiting comes when you’re in a hurry and God isn’t. It’s hard to be patient when you’re waiting for an answer to prayer, but it’s a test of faith. God’s timing is perfect. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” He may not move on our schedule (and usually doesn’t) but He is always on time and He wants us to show we trust Him and are willing to wait on Him.

Prayer:
Lord, we are only a tiny part of this nation, but we cry out to You. Make us people who show our trust in You every single day. Please bless our country.
We pray that the election’s turn out is Your will and that good comes out of this financial crisis, but much more importantly we pray that we spend our lives and all of eternity praising You. As always we come to You through Your Son, Jesus, and it’s in His Holy name we pray. Amen.