Patience

Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

The fruit of the Spirit is..........patience.......  

          

In Galatians 5:19-21, Paul states that the deeds of the flesh “are” and then lists 15 specific and separate sins.  Because the verb is plural, each of us might sin in one, two, or all 15 of these sins although highly unlikely that anyone, at least reading this, would be committing all 15 of these sins.  However, when Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit, he uses a singular verb so that those filled with the Holy Spirit exhibit not just one, or two, or more, but ALL 9 attributes of the Spirit.  Patience is one of these nine, but keep in mind that if you exhibit patience in your life because of the leadership of the Holy Spirit in you, you also exhibit the other eight fruits—love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  Just as God gives patience through His Holy Spirit to you, He also gives the other eight fruits of the Spirit. 

The word for patience in the Bible is “makrothumia”, meaning fortitude, longsuffering, a forbearing attitude in provoking circumstances. Patience is enduring or waiting, as a determination of will. It is not merely enduring trials as a matter of necessity. Patience is a strong determination of will, to victoriously overcome the negative things we confront, according to God's will.  Being patient, both proaction and reaction, is clear evidence that you are filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit.  Yet patience often is very difficult for most believers to practice all the time. 

It is God through His Holy Spirit that you allow to lead you that gives you patience.  What is the result of patience?  Among other benefits patience will help you live in complete harmony with others.  Think about how ideal a life that would be.  Indeed patience enables you to be tolerant of others (I Corinthians 13:4 and Ephesians 4:1-6 Patience also, according to Scripture, gives you wisdom and power (Proverbs 14:29, 19:11, Colossians 1:11)

Anger can be released through patience.  For example, while driving, someone tailgates you or cuts you off.  What is your immediate response?  Anger!  Someone insults you by calling you a name.  What is your immediate response?  Anger!  Some displeases you because of their behavior, either commission or omission.  What is your immediate response?  Anger!  Yet, over time, such anger dissipates.  Patience enables such dissipation of anger to occur sooner rather than later.  The sooner anger is dissipated, the less real and potential harm/damage can occur both to someone else and to you. 

“Patience is the quality that makes a man able not simply to suffer things, but to vanquish them”—William Barclay


May the God who gives patience…help you to live in complete harmony with each other-each with the attitude of Christ toward each other.  Romans 15:5 (LB)