Colossians 3:12 NIV
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 1:11 NIV
11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,
Galatians 5:22-23 NIV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23 KJV
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Psalm 27:14 NIV
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 37:7 NIV
7 Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Paul tells us in Romans to "rejoice in hope, BE PATIENT in tribulation and constant in prayer."
We begin with the question “Do you consider yourself to be a patient person?” Please give this a lot of thought.
Is patience a characteristic of your life?
As children, most of us heard the reprimand “be patient” and “patience is a virtue.” Many of us heard it more than we wanted to.
Unfortunately as adults, we are accustomed to getting something when we want it. Fast food, a fax or email instead of regular mail or a quick answer on our smartphone.
Did we learn what adults were trying to teach us as children?
How many times have you made a purchase on impulse and later regretted it? Heaven forbid it was a car or a house.
How many times have you quit a job, only to later wish you were back there?
How many times have you given up on waiting for an answer and charged ahead on your own?
Patience is also needed with our prayers. Remember from other lessons, that God does not always say yes or yes immediately. Sometimes he says to wait. In doing so, He wants us to learn patience and more clearly that He is in total control.
We may have to pray for months or years for a loved one to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. We learn that things don’t always happen in the order or as quickly as we want.
Again, we have all heard those old sayings, such as “patience is a virtue” and “good things come to those who wait.” They are both true.
Unfortunately, patience is lacking in many, if not most people and it is something that we must learn, or better yet, acquire through walking in the Spirit.
Patience is more than just a virtue; it is one of the components of the “Fruit of the Spirit”, which all believers are to exhibit in their daily life.
Instead of "hurry up and wait", we need to slow down, be obedient to and led by the Spirit, remembering that God is in total control and we must wait upon Him.
RVH