Living in America, we thrive on instant gratification. I found I have become so spoiled with my iphone. I can find almost anything I want in an instant. Directions, movie times, books, music, websites, it’s all there at the tip of my fingers.
Many of us are not all that good at waiting. We want instant results. I wonder if that is some of the reason we are not so good at developing healthy habits. It will often take some time before we see the dividends.
Many of us overestimate what we can accomplish in the short term, but we underestimate what we can accomplish over time. You are not going to lose 10 lbs in a day, but you might be able to do it over the course of several weeks. You are not going to read your Bible in one sitting, but you can easily accomplish the feat over the course of a year.
Consider the disciples. When Jesus called them, they were not suddenly transformed into the apostles they would become. But Jesus would take these common, non-religious mean and over the course of three and a half years would radically transform them. They would heal the sick, raise the dead, speak with incredible conviction before hostile crowds, and write the Scriptures by the inspiration of God. All in three and a half years. It was not in an instant. There were lessons that were to be learned. Lessons that took some time. But the training was far shorter than one might have expected to lead the largest movement in the history of the world.
If God gives you a gift you may be able to master a skill in an instant. For example, he could give you the ability to pick up the guitar and start playing even though you have never played before. It could happen. More than likely however, if you were to pick up the guitar and you commit to learning to play it for the glory of God – I can almost guarantee you that if the Holy Spirit is working that gift in you, you will pick it up in an amazingly short time. It will take some time. It will take practice. You may take a step back in order to take a few steps forward. There will not be instant gratification, but God will divinely intervene and give you an anointing to do his work.
It is not about your skill, but the Spirit of God working in you. It is not about your ability, but it is about your availability to be used by God. To him be the glory.
