In Galatians 5:22-23 we are told that the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. This week's Fruit is patience.
Patience is something that, as a child, I was always told that I should have and something that, at that time, didn�t sound like fun. As an adult, it is still not fun to practice patience but I know that life runs smoother for those who have it. I looked it up in the dictionary to get a better idea of the meaning. Synonyms are: long-suffering , resignation , and forbearance. These words have the feeling of enduring hardship, annoyance, or inconvenience without complaint. So patience is the willingness to tolerate delay with calmness and self-control.
The Bible talks about two kinds of patience,
God's patience-
God has waited thousands of years (in our understanding of time) but He isn't being slow in keeping His promise of the Kingdom of Heaven. He is being patient with us because He doesn't want anyone to miss salvation. He wants everyone to repent and accept His offer of new life with Him. 2 Peter 3:9
Our patience-
Romans 8:24-25 says that we were saved because of our belief in and hope of salvation and now we wait patiently because of our trust in God's promise. Even when it seems that life is very hard and that there is no hope, we have faith that we have a future. God promised it.
Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that the Lord declares that He has plans for our welfare and for our future.
God promises to renew our strength so that we will soar like eagles. He tells us this in Jeremiah 40:31.
2 Thessalonians 1:4 says that when we face hardships, we can be patient because we know that God uses these trials for our growth and our good.
- When we don't know how a situation will turn out, we can wait without worry, because we know our future is secure. We remember that God has promised this to us and we believe Him.
- When things seem to go wrong, we must trust that God is working for our good in all things. Not just in the isolated instances when it is obvious that the outcome is good for us. Romans 8:28.
- We can wait without worry or frustration because we know Who is at the controls. Impatience comes from wanting to be in control. It comes from not wanting to give power to someone else and not wanting to admit that there is a powerful God Who is in the driver�s seat. So get in the passenger seat and let Him do the driving.
Patience is not an easy Fruit to produce, but with trust in God's help, it is ours.
Patience is closely related to another fruit of the Spirit, self-control. Read about that HERE.
Complete listing of the Fruit of the Spirit.
