Fruit of the Spirit–Patience

Intro
• Galatians 5:21-23 show us the Gifts of the Spirit.
• 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

We are studying the gift of Patience today. We encourage you to listen to our previous shows about Love, Joy and Peace, as we believe the fruits work in the order they were given.

Many times when we think of patience, we think of something we are trying to obtain. For instance, you have often heard and maybe even said, “You are trying my patience!” or “My patience is wearing thin!” Aren’t we glad that God didn’t say that about us? Patience today in our culture has become something we feel we have to do. We feel the need to rein our anger in, and think that is patience. Patience is a whole separate thing. Patience, as in all the other Fruits of the Spirit is a way of being. It’s not just the opposite of anger, it is the way you should live your life.

Paul encourages the Colossians in 1:11-12
• Colossians 1:11-12New Living Translation (NLT)
• 11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy,[a]12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

A little but further down in Colossains 3:12 he tells us:

• Colossians 3:12
• Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

We must be patient with others, as in love your neighbor, but we must be patient with ourselves, too. That can be obtained by being still and waiting on the Lord to move in our lives.

• Psalm 27:14
• Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
• Psalm 37:7
• Be still in the presence of the LORD, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.

When we studied about Peace, we looked at John 14:27.
• John 14:27New International Version (NIV)
• 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.

Jesus was telling his disciples to not be troubled, and that would mean they had to have peace and patience. When we get overstressed or start to magnify our problems instead of God, we are not waiting patiently for Him to work in our lives.

• Romans 8:24-25
• For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

We need to have patience with ourselves, trusting that God is in control. We need to make Him the center of our lives and then we can rest easy and wait patiently for His return. The easiest way to hear from God is by listening to Him and letting Him flow in our lives.

God is very patient with us. There are many verses that remind us how patient God is with us.

• 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?

• Romans 9:22
• In the same way, 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.

• 2 Peter 3:15
• And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him.

• Romans 15:4
• Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.

God isn’t mad and impatient with you. On the contrary, He loves us so much that he wants us to have all the patience with others as He has with us. He wants us to live calm, peaceful lives filled with patience and kindness toward everyone. When we are living in His patience, He wants us to relax and enjoy our lives. Patience needs to be part of us, not something we try to get on our own.

There are times when trials will arise and we want God to fix them immediately, but God works on His own time table. When we start to expect things in our time, we become impatient and we lose our peace and the other fruits of the Spirit. It’s in these times that we must be more patient than others, and to do that, we see many scriptures that point to rejoicing in our trials.
• Romans 12:12
• Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18New International Version (NIV)
• 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
We used this verse, when we spoke of joy, but when you have trials, we must not only have patience, but give thanks. You may not be thanking God for your trials right now, but if you pray and trust that He will do everything for your benefit, you can have patience knowing that whatever happens will lead toward your success in the end.
Patience is a result of having Love, Joy, and Peace. It all flows together. When I was studying verses on patience, I found that in 10 other scriptures there is the mention of at least 1 other fruit of the Spirit. You may have noticed them here, but others are to come. We encourage you to search out these teachings on your own. We use www.biblegateway.com often. It is a great way to look at verses by subjects and see things from different perspectives.

We love you and pray that you continue to walk in all the fruits of the Spirit, especially patience, now that we have learned more about it. Next time we will look into Kindness. God bless you and have a great day!
Prayer of Salvation