Patience is the first fruit of the Spirit that impacts our relationships with others. This daily devotional looks at different identifiers of that and its elements.
Nuggets
- Patience presents itself as a fruit of the Spirit by being applied to our character.
- We choose to have patience in trials.
- Patience has components of meekness and humility in it.
- We have to have patience when we wait and watch.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Fruit of the Spirit from the Inside Out series
The problem with this fruit of the Spirit is it goes by a lot of different names. We know it mostly by patience. Long-suffering is another name, which implies endurance. Forbearance is a more obscure name, but it is out there. Then, patience is tied to other words.
Let’s see what we can dig out here.
Let's Put It into Context #1
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
Let's Put It into Context #2
Manning did a long introduction to patience. He wrote, “Then there are the fruits which have relation to our neighbour; and the first is patience. Do we bear with our neighbours? Are we irritable, revengeful, resentful, malicious? If so, the fruits of the Holy Ghost are not in us, because the benignity of God is not in us. Long-suffering is another name for patience. Just as equity is the most delicate form of justice, long-suffering is the most perfect form of charity, the perpetual radiance of a loving heart, which, in its dealings with all around, looks kindly upon them and judges kindly of their faults. It means also perseverance, the not being wearied in well-doing, not throwing up and saying, “I have tried to do good for such a one, I have tried to correct his faults. I have tried to win him; but he is ungrateful, incorrigible, and I will have no more to do with him.” Our Lord does not so deal with us. Long-suffering means an unwearied perseverance in doing good.”
Resource
Patience as a Fruit of the Spirit
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land” (Ps. 37: 7-9 ESV)
Patience presents itself as a fruit of the Spirit by being applied to our character.
Thornton talked about patience being a self-possession. Without it, we can be adrift during times of trial. In fact, Thornton stressed its importance by stating that it must be present to help us govern our own minds.
What is this patience that Thornton was talking about? He wrote, “That patience which is the fruit of the Spirit stands opposed to irritability of temper, undue eagerness of expectation, fretfulness under sufferings, and weariness in well-doing. Christian patience must he distinguished from constitutional fortitude and stoical apathy.”
Resource
I kind of see patience as a product of peace. If we don’t have the calmness of peace, we will have the temper and fretfulness. That means we don’t have the patience.
When we think about this as a fruit of the Spirit in regards to our relationships with others, Thornton is correct that we have to possess feelings for others. If we don’t care for their spiritual condition, we aren’t going to build the relationships with them.
To take that to the next level, if we don’t want the relationship, we aren’t going to have the patience when we interact with others. When we don’t have patience for others, that shows we do not have God’s character within us.
That is what we are going for in our redo for godliness. We want to be like God.
Thornton called it the grace of patience. Grace is a free and unmerited gift of love from the Heavenly Father, given through His Son, Jesus Christ, that enables salvation and spiritual healing to believers by the work of the Holy Spirit.
How do we translate that to patience? “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Gal. 6: 9 ESV).
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Patience as Long-Suffering
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Rom. 12: 12 ESV)
We choose to have patience in trials.
I equate long-suffering with endurance. Well, long is self-explanatory, as is suffering. If we handle something a long time, we are enduring it.
Murray used all of that in his definition of long-suffering. He wrote, “It means the power to bear up under a burden — a power to endure — a power to resist pressure — the capacity to stand a tremendous strain. The idea of endurance is that which gives emphasis to the word.”
Resource
Reeve added the concept that it is a frame of mind. Frame of mind is an emotional state that effects our attitude or behavior.
We said in the last devotion that means it is a choice. We choose to endure with patience.
Reeve noted that, sometimes, we will have to be firm, in our enduring. Sometimes, we will just have to swallow our protests.
Resource
Newbolt added the benefits that come from long-suffering. He wrote, “And long-suffering is perhaps that power which enables us to suffer on, which will not let us become ruffled, or put back, or paralyzed, or overwhelmed by difficulties as they come upon us.”
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Unfortunately, we don’t want to endure things. Thornton wrote, “We are naturally impetuous and self-willed. We wish to wear the crown without bearing the cross; and to find some shorter and smoother road to the heavenly kingdom than that which leads us through the perilous and tedious wilderness.”
Resource
Thornton didn’t really talk about our impatience — our desire for instant gratification — as the reason for our impetuousness. We are programmed these days to not want to wait for things.
But how does that impact our spiritual lives?
We don’t always understand that this is the way we get our submissive spirit. We just see it as a way to build strength.
Don’t get me wrong. We do get the strength from enduring the trials. There are so many disappointments and so much loss that we go through.
Murray said we need to be taught the value of things. That is a job for the Holy Spirit.
Newbolt said that we need to remember that God is growing us through the Sanctification Road. We don’t become strong overnight. We grow as we get to know Him better.
Sometimes, Newbolt said, God has something special in store for us. However, something within us may need to heal first.
I hate to say it, but there is another advantage to us having trials. Have you ever noticed how we band together when someone is having a rough go, especially an illness? The trials grow our patience as it grows our cohesiveness.
This is because the sympathy and encouragement pop out.
Components of Patience
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (Eph. 4: 2 ESV)
Patience has components of meekness and humility in it.
Reeve noted that long-suffering has a component of meekness in it. Meekness is a personality trait exhibiting a mild or moderate disposition that places dependence on God.
Meekness is often used synonymously with humility. Humility is a character trait that diminishes pride and places dependence on God while holding a modest view of our importance with respect to others.
They both are traits that put our dependence on God. When we diminish our pride, we exhibit a mild or moderate disposition. When we do that, we enhance our view of others.
Reeve reminded us of some very good verses that support this.
- “And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD’” (Job 1: 21 ESV).
- “And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb” (Rom. 4: 19 NLT).
- “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Rom. 15: 1 ESV).
What are these verses saying?
- We have to depend on the Lord because He has given us everything that we have.
- God has made many promises to us and will fulfill those promises, even if they seem impossible.
- God wants us to be a community where the strong in faith help the weak in faith.
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This is how we show that we have God’s patience.
Making the Connections
“But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Rom. 8: 25 ESV)
We have to have patience when we wait and watch.
Watchfulness is a continual conscious examination of ourselves and all events so that we may follow God in all things. We’ve used several words to portray the actions of being watchful:
- Watch
- Be alert
- Be on guard
- Focus
All of these mean that we are not only looking outside of ourselves, but we are also looking up to God to help us in whatever we are facing.
It isn’t all just watching for the bad stuff. It is watching for God. Sometimes, we have to really pay attention, or we will miss opportunities — to serve and for God’s blessings.
It isn’t just watching the outside. We have to watch the inside. We’ve been calling it evaluating — but same thing.
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We like to think resting and waiting means doing nothing — there are no actions required of us. Resting and waiting are actions. They are conscious decisions.
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Watching and waiting have to have an element of patience. Waiting has to have the patience to not rush. Watching has to have patience when what we are watching for doesn’t seem to be coming any time soon.
How Do We Apply This?
- Listen more closely to the Holy Spirit’s promptings to grow our patience.
- Evaluate the trials we are in to put them into a correct perspective in regard to God’s hand guiding us through them.
- Cultivate patience before the trials start, so we are ready when they do.
- Find examples of God’s grace and meditate on that.
- Find God within our souls and spirits.
- Always remember that we have a Mediator interceding for us.
- Honor God through the suffering by following God’s Will because He is Sovereign God.
Resource
Patience is the reward for enduring the trials and standing form without sinning. It is also a major component needed in our relationships with others.
Father God. We praise You as Sovereign God. We thank You for guiding us through the trials. Please give us more patience as we are successful in enduring all we face. Amen.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
What do you think?
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