Was Jonathan kind, honest, humble, and patient? Did he extend compassion? Who was Jonathan Edwards? He was a student of truth that entered Yale University at the age of 13.  “Many acquire Bible facts, but few connect in a genuine relationship with their heavenly Father.” Pastor Edwards was supremely focused on Christ and his goal to know and glorify God through Jesus Christ. In his sermons we find that Jonathan was a wise thinker, herald, pastor, and theologian all in one. He preached about the eternal cost of man’s sinful condition and the riches of Christ’s grace. A quick summary of one sermon on patience by Pastor Edwards. He expounded on the theme of divine timing and the importance of waiting in the context of FAITH. Modern culture values speed and immediate results, but God’s timing operates on a different plane—eternity. The delays we experience are not signs of neglect but are often His strategic way of preparing us for eternity. Key points of his sermon.

1. Divine Timing vs Human Expectations:  God’s delays are not due to a lack of love or interest but are often rooted in divine precision. When Jesus delayed His visit to Lazarus, it was to reveal His power through resurrection rather than mere healing.

2. Waiting as Preparation: Waiting is a classroom where faith is developed. God’s delays refine faith by teaching believers to trust and depend on Him rather than on their timelines or expectations.

3. Impatience is framed as a form of unbelief, a struggle against God’s rhythm. True FAITH is depicted as the ABILITY to worship and TRUST in silence. Waiting can be an act of devotion.

4. The Nature of God’s Delays are protective rather than punitive. The Israelites were led on a longer path to avoid battles they were unprepared for.  Divine delays can guard against the harm of rushing. We know not what to pray for, but the Spirit of God intercedes and His way prevails.

5. Maturity develops in the wait: The process of waiting cultivates more patience, humility, and obedience. Each moment of delay serves to deepen a believer’s character. God prepares the desires of our hearts to expand to include His perfect will and timing.

6. Transformative waiting shapes a believer as it tests their faith and character. When blessings arrive, they are often accompanied by a newfound perspective. The real miracle lies in the growth experienced during the honorable wait. God’s plan includes opportunities for spiritual development. Embrace waiting as a vital aspect of greater faith. Trust that Jesus is in the wait with you.

7. John 3:29-30 “The bride belongs to the Bridegroom. The friend who attends the Bridegroom waits and listens for Him, and is full of joy when he hears the Bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” His will be done.

James 4:1-7 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your DESIRES that BATTLE within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ASK GOD. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong (selfish) MOTIVES, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity (the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone) against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that He jealously longs for the spirit God has caused to dwell in us? But God gives us MORE GRACE. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Pray for patience and humility. Luke 14:11 “For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Sermon in comments

Ephesians 4:2-7 “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Jonathan Edwards, was a Puritan Preacher in the 1700s. He attended Yale at the age of 13 and later went on to become the president of Princeton college. He married his wife Sara in 1727 and they were blessed with eleven children. Every night when Mr. Edwards was home, he would spend an hour conversing with his family and then praying a blessing over each child. The couple passed on a great, godly legacy, a generational blessing. Jonathan’s family tree: 1 U.S. Vice-President, 1 Dean of a law school, 1 dean of a medical school, 3 U.S. Senators, 3 governors, 3 mayors, 13 college presidents, 30 judges, 60 doctors, 65 professors, 75 Military officers, 80 public office holders, 100 lawyers, 100 clergymen, and 285 college graduates. More than 1,400 of Edwards’ family is due to Sara Edwards prayers and influence. ❤️ Max Jukes’ family tree of 42 men in the New York prison system were traced back to him. Max and Jonathan lived in same century. The Jukes family was studied by sociologist R. L. Dugdale in 1877.

What legacy will you leave your kids and the next generation? The Jukes’ descendants included: 7 murderers, 60 thieves, 190 prostitutes, 150 other convicts, 310 paupers, and 440 who were physically wrecked by addiction to alcohol. Of the 1,200 descendants that were studied, 300 died prematurely. These contrasting legacies provide an example of what some call the five-generation rule. “How a parent raises their child — the love they give, the values they teach, the emotional environment they offer, the Biblical education they provide — influences not only their children but the four generations to follow, either for good or evil.” What a challenging thought! If someone studied your descendants four generations later, what would you want them to discover? Do you want an Edwards’ legacy or a Jukes’ legacy? The choices we make today will determine the legacy we leave! God sees us, hears us always. He will hold us accountable for being silent about God and how we encouraged this generation to seek God, another sermon. A GOOD NO!

God’s Word illuminates and renews the mind with His living and active Word. It is up to us to accept the love of God and be supernaturally transformed by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our Father gave us a gift to be treasured, our faith in Jesus.  Invite the Holy Spirit to give you fresh revelation. Our Father tells us exactly what He intends to do in us and through us.

A spiritual war at home will force faith to speak up. Tension builds in a home whenever the purity of Gods Presence is mixed with unbeliefs evil practices. When we witness excessive attention towards an idol, a goddess, a device — and we remain silent, we are held accountable. 2 Corin 6:14 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” It is our responsibility to speak up for God and against disobedience to His Word. 2 Chron 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.” He sees us always. ❤️Jeremiah 44:19 Lesson: When God offers someone a 2nd chance, it is foolish to reject it. Provoking God to wrath is to believe that our holy God will not justly judge us according to our choices. Be aware of He— who knows all — and issues mercy to whomever repents and walks humbly. Live in peace and spread it with intention.

It is well within my soul as His peace abides, or I find myself choosing to deny time with God as I indulge my desires, my pleasures, my preferences, my ways over His. The Lord’s prayer reminds us to daily ask for His forgiveness, as we choose to forgive those who have hurt us, insulted, angered, offended, or deceived us. We are to forgive as He forgives, and never bring it up again. Erase the offense. Our hearts are decitful above all else and we admit that evil is cunning. The liar deceives even the elect as the road is narrow and few choose it. The scheme of the devil is to convince us of our harmless indulgences. Measure how much time is spent in His Word versus how much time spent facing media? Any thing that gets more attention can easily become an idol that we value more than God. Choose God as #1.

If you have ever felt God stop you on a path that looked beautiful, only to later realize he was saving you from yourself, praise God for it.  The Holy Spirit did not gently nudge you aside, He pulled you back into a closer relationship with God. We falsely assume anything that frustrates our dreams must be the enemy, because we secretly treat our desires as sacred.  The Holy Spirit does not obey our ambitions. He brings them before the will of the Father. When He sees that the future you are chasing would quietly bury your soul, He will not stand by while you dig your own grave. He will interfere. He will close what you keep trying to open and weaken what you insist on rebuilding. The Apostle Paul longed to go into certain regions to preach, yet Acts 16:7  “The spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” Not demons, not persecution, but the Spirit blocked an apostle’s mission for a higher purpose. Our disappointments may have been the fingerprints of a God who has already read the final page of your story. Every disappointment carries two stories, the one you feel and the one God sees. You feel the sting of something precious slipping away. He sees the slow erosion of your soul if it stayed. You feel blocked by a closed door, but He knows there is a serpent coiled on the other side. You may feel humiliated because what you announced did not work. He knows that success in that direction would have swollen your pride until you could no longer hear His voice. What looks like punishment is often heaven cutting off a path that would have led you quietly away from Gods plan for you.