Patience
2 Thess. 3:5
2 Thess. 3:5
“Now may the Lord
direct your hearts into the Love of God, and into the patience of Christ.”
One of the most harmful character flaws is impatience.
The cultural push from not just a speedy industrial life but to a speedy home
life is driving Christians away from patience.
Not to mention this Captain Ahab quest for euphoria that is leading many
Christians into a loss of patience.
Jesus said in Luke 21:19 that in your patience you possess your souls. Through such a destructive life many in their
inflamed impatience no longer have possession of their souls. Such a “Speedy
Gonzales” life style brings a constant aching. This is an aching of diversion,
novelty, excitement, euphoria, change, etc. and is as destructive of an
influence that can be found in the world today.
Christianity is far from a summer beach side stroll or a walk through the botanical gardens. It is a rough course even for “Spartan runners”. It is a struggle against all the corrosive elements of time, against sorrow, temptation, and at times even against boredom. There is only one stabilizer powerful enough to enable Christians to an effective end of the conflict: patience. Peter tell us to add patience or perseverance to our faith, 2 Pet. 1:5-9. We also see in this same text that without such things as virtue, knowledge, self-control, godliness, brotherly kindness and love along with patience some have become shortsighted and blind. Forgetting that they were cleansed of their sins. Without the patience that Christ speaks of we run the danger of being blind, short sided, and losing our soul.
How can we avoid this? By having patience. Now this is spiritual patience. In Gal. 5:22 is a fruit of the Spirit. Hmmm, so if Eph. 1:3 lets us know that only through Christ can we receive spiritual blessings than it is only by Him we may have patience. So what is this spiritual patience? It is simply the quality of steadfastness and loyalty in the times of crisis, especially in persecution. It means we do not just give up when the road to eternity with Christ takes too long, gets too hard, and well it is just too boring. We endure because we know there is a reward.
In Luke 8 we have the parable of the sower. Specifically in verses 9-15 Jesus explains this parable. Then in verse 15 we see the good soil are those who in hearing the word with a noble and good hearts hold fast to it. Yet that is not all, they bear fruit with patience. In our patience there should be fruit seen. So that leaves out the idea of just simply being patient as you would in line at the DMV on payday. It is a patience that is in well-doing.
Reading Romans 2:7 we see that there is eternal life for those who in well-doing seek the distinction, happiness, esteem, and freedom from suffering with an exemption from the destruction of sin. What is well-doing? Doing what God commands. Paul makes a division in the context of this verse. The division shows two classes of people, those who obey God and those who obey unrighteousness. Verse 8 shows us what happens to those who obey unrighteousness. I mention that to ask you which of the two has patience? Just something to think about.
Those who are obeying God undergo a process. Like all things molded there are steps to be taken. Not only rejoicing in the joys of salvation but tribulation for tribulation produces patience or perseverance. This perseverance produces character. That character, well, it produces hope. That hope doesn’t disappoint (Romans 5:1-5). To behave like a Christian we need to have that patience in tribulation (Romans 12:9-13). We can be patient as Christians. We know that tribulation is nothing. We know that tribulation is simply the testing of our faith that produces patience. By patiently bearing through them the character is completed, perfected and fitted to dwell with God. In James 1:2-4 James is quick to tell us to let patience work so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. We bear with patience present labors and delays to gain the treasure we hope for (Romans 8:25). Such patience should permeate through our lives.
Christianity is far from a summer beach side stroll or a walk through the botanical gardens. It is a rough course even for “Spartan runners”. It is a struggle against all the corrosive elements of time, against sorrow, temptation, and at times even against boredom. There is only one stabilizer powerful enough to enable Christians to an effective end of the conflict: patience. Peter tell us to add patience or perseverance to our faith, 2 Pet. 1:5-9. We also see in this same text that without such things as virtue, knowledge, self-control, godliness, brotherly kindness and love along with patience some have become shortsighted and blind. Forgetting that they were cleansed of their sins. Without the patience that Christ speaks of we run the danger of being blind, short sided, and losing our soul.
How can we avoid this? By having patience. Now this is spiritual patience. In Gal. 5:22 is a fruit of the Spirit. Hmmm, so if Eph. 1:3 lets us know that only through Christ can we receive spiritual blessings than it is only by Him we may have patience. So what is this spiritual patience? It is simply the quality of steadfastness and loyalty in the times of crisis, especially in persecution. It means we do not just give up when the road to eternity with Christ takes too long, gets too hard, and well it is just too boring. We endure because we know there is a reward.
In Luke 8 we have the parable of the sower. Specifically in verses 9-15 Jesus explains this parable. Then in verse 15 we see the good soil are those who in hearing the word with a noble and good hearts hold fast to it. Yet that is not all, they bear fruit with patience. In our patience there should be fruit seen. So that leaves out the idea of just simply being patient as you would in line at the DMV on payday. It is a patience that is in well-doing.
Reading Romans 2:7 we see that there is eternal life for those who in well-doing seek the distinction, happiness, esteem, and freedom from suffering with an exemption from the destruction of sin. What is well-doing? Doing what God commands. Paul makes a division in the context of this verse. The division shows two classes of people, those who obey God and those who obey unrighteousness. Verse 8 shows us what happens to those who obey unrighteousness. I mention that to ask you which of the two has patience? Just something to think about.
Those who are obeying God undergo a process. Like all things molded there are steps to be taken. Not only rejoicing in the joys of salvation but tribulation for tribulation produces patience or perseverance. This perseverance produces character. That character, well, it produces hope. That hope doesn’t disappoint (Romans 5:1-5). To behave like a Christian we need to have that patience in tribulation (Romans 12:9-13). We can be patient as Christians. We know that tribulation is nothing. We know that tribulation is simply the testing of our faith that produces patience. By patiently bearing through them the character is completed, perfected and fitted to dwell with God. In James 1:2-4 James is quick to tell us to let patience work so that we may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. We bear with patience present labors and delays to gain the treasure we hope for (Romans 8:25). Such patience should permeate through our lives.
James, in James
5:7-11, brings to life a statement that makes it very easy for us to understand
patience. He says be patient until the
coming of the Lord. Just like a farmer waits for the fruits of the earth,
waiting patiently for it until it receives rain--- you too be patient. A farmer
simply plants the seed. They tend the weeds and pests. They protect the plant
when it does sprout and wait for it to bear fruit. The farmer does nothing but
provide the best soil and nutrients, the rest is up to the sun, rain and
seed. The farmer doesn’t stop working
once the seed is planted but works on it patiently in hopes that the seed will
sprout and produce.
We know for sure that our hopes will come about. Let us not turn to one another in our boredom and grumble. Let us endure and persevere like the prophets and Job. We know what our hope is. We know what our work is. We know what the end result is. Let us be patient in our Christian walk. Let us not give way to the world through our impatience. Let patience found in Christ be your stabilizer to enable you to make it to the end.
We know for sure that our hopes will come about. Let us not turn to one another in our boredom and grumble. Let us endure and persevere like the prophets and Job. We know what our hope is. We know what our work is. We know what the end result is. Let us be patient in our Christian walk. Let us not give way to the world through our impatience. Let patience found in Christ be your stabilizer to enable you to make it to the end.
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