"The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
There is no law against these things!
Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.
Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives." Galatians 5:22-25
What does patience look like?
What does patience feel like?
The word “patience” comes from the word hupomene, which broken down into two words - hupo and meno.
The word hupo means under, and meno means to stay or to remain. When joined together, the word means endurance or to stay under. It gives us a picture of one who is under a heavy load but is resolved in staying put - regardless of how hard or heavy that load becomes. Patience in Galatians 5:22 literally means “long temper,” in the sense of “the ability to hold one’s temper for a long time.” It can also mean “longsuffering.” A patient person is able to endure much pain and suffering without complaining. A patient person is slow to anger as he waits for God to provide comfort and punish wrongdoing.
Did you know that patience is actually a position of power.
Have you ever thought about that?
Patience is self-restraint and careful thinking.
When we are faced with a difficult or challenging situation, we must choose to exert - patience. It is taking a deep breath and resolving to restrain from taking revenge and or lashing out with words that you cannot take back; it is choosing to love and ask God for help because we want to have a heart like Him and to choose to pray for that person who wronged us.
Patience is choosing to give compassion to a tiring and challenging person.
Patience is choosing to trust and wait on God through trying situations because we have hope for healing or relief or whatever it is we are going through.
Patience is the state of being that comes from being grounded in God and abiding in Him that occurs over a lifetime of experiences and reactions and how they played out.
Losing patience is a sign of weakness.
Patience is a virtue they say.
We admire those who have it, we even aspire to have it from afar -
yet, the closer it comes to us —
when it invades our peaceful lives, or intrudes on our way of life,
the claws come out and the tongue fires up quicker than we can hold back and bite down.
How can we become more patience?
Patience grows in the soil of the Spirit — from a place of humility and a willingness to embrace the reality
that we do not know and cannot control all things. It comes from a deep and abiding trust that God is in control and will follow through on all of His promises. It comes from a heart that is surrendered to Him and is truly happy to have God on throne of their life.
Have you ever thought about how patient God is with us? Take a look back over your life. Look at this world, the choices we make, how we treat each other, how we do not value human life, how we disregard Him and His ways, God is so patient with sinners.
Romans 2:4 – “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”
- His patience is meant to lead us to repentance.
Romans 9:22 – "Even though God has the right to show his anger and his power, he is very patient with those on whom his anger falls, who are destined for destruction.
- His patience is meant to save us from self destruction.
1 Peter 3:20 – “Those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.”
- God had immense patience with the evil people of Noah’s day, delaying judgment as long as possible, just as He still remains to
this day.
2 Peter 3:15 - our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved.
When we feel irritated, discouraged, frustrated, agitated, anger and have a desire for revenge -
God says:
Romans 12:12 "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
Galatians 6:9 "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
Romans 8:25 "But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
Ephesians 4:2 "With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,"
Psalm 37:7-9 "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."
1 Corinthians 13:4 "Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant."
This is the will of God- He knows that practicing patience is beneficial to our heart, soul and mind - and beneficial to those around us.
If we are to live like Christ, we are to live like Him with a spirit of patience -
towards Him, towards ourselves, and towards others.
When we choose impatience - nothing good comes from it - for us or those around us.
Have you ever experienced any of these side effects when you are feeling impatient?
1. A lack of peace and joy.
2. Restlessness, stress, irritability, and just an overall negative attitude
3. A feeling of inadequacy and frustration within ourselves and others.
4. Clouded thinking
5. A rise in your blood pressure
6. The inability to be present because your mind is elsewhere fretting or mulling over that which is stealing your attention of impatience.
These are just a few of the negative side effects impatience can cause us.
John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Let's close with reading a passage from the book of John.
I believe it will help us as we go forward with our study on the Fruit of the Spirit. As we come to understand that we are not left to figure this out on our own, nor are we to muster up these "fruits" by ourselves. God invites us to "abide in Him," and that in Him is where we find true peace and patience comes from His Spirit working within us as we put our trust in Him and allow Him to work in and through us.
Here is a beautiful picture of what God can do in us if we come to Him with a willing heart and mind.
The Vine and the Branches
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,
while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you.
No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;
apart from me you can do nothing.
If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers;
such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Now remain in my love.
If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—
fruit that will last—
and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
This is my command: Love each other."