Patience

Galatians 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is…patience.

All of us need patience.  Why?  Because there’s always someone who is slower than us, who doesn’t understand how we understand things, who doesn’t do things the way we do it.  One of the hardest truths to accept is that God created all of us different from one another.  We always want people to be like us.

A dictionary defines patience as “good natured tolerance of delay or incompetence”.

Why is patience such an important character to have as a Christian?

1.  Patience is a character of holiness.  And God calls us to be holy.

Colossians 3:12 (NIV)
12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

As God’s chosen people, holy…we are to walk in patience.

2.  Patience is a character of love.  And, as Christians, we are called to live a life of love.

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

In 1 Corinthians 13 the first characteristic of love is patience.

3.  Patience is a character of a godly man/woman.

Proverbs 14:29 (NIV)
29 A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

Proverbs 15:18 (NIV)
18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, because true patience comes from God.

God is patient.

2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

And God is love.  So He knows how to be patient, and this is the patience He gives us.

So as God the Holy Spirit indwells and fills our heart, His character, His life, is molded into ours.

So where should this patience be practiced or seen in our lives?

1.  With one another, or in our relationships.

Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Is there someone we have been impatient with recently?

2.  In affliction.  This is one area where we tend to be impatient!  And this is with God!

Romans 12:12 (NIV)
12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

James 5:10-11 (NIV)
10 Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

Sometimes the only way for us to experience God’s compassion and mercy is when we are going through affliction, through suffering.

It’s not God taking away the affliction that is important, but what He is teaching us, showing us about who He is during affliction that is important.