Fruit of the Spirit: Patience

We have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit as it is presented in Galatians 5:22-23. We've looked at love, joy, and peace, then last week we skipped over to faithfulness. This week we come back to the quality of patience.

Remember, since this fruit is produced by the Spirit in Christians, only Christians can have real love, joy, peace, patience, etc. There are counterfeits, but the real McCoy comes only from the Spirit.

Question: Since the Spirit is the one who produces the fruit, what does the believer have to do about it? Do not make the mistake of thinking we can be passive. We must pursue the fruit. In this week’s passage, the first two words are, “Be patient.” That's a command! Growing in Christ-likeness is a cooperative effort; the Holy Spirit produces the fruit and we are commanded to demonstrate the fruit. God works, so we work.

God expects you to be patient. To be patient is to be long suffering, to be long-fused rather than short-fused. It means that it takes a lot to get your dander up to the point where you lash out with your hand, tongue, or in your heart and will. Consider this passage in James:

James 5:7-11 7Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

God expects you to be patient with his timetable. James uses the example of the ancient farmer who had to wait for the early rains to soften the ground, and for the latter rains to mature the crop. If he became impatient and harvested his crop too soon, before the latter rains, his crop would not be mature. Any good farmer would patiently wait for the right time to harvest the crop. In the same way, you must be patient with God's timetable and agenda for your life.

1. You can become impatient with God’s timetable. For example, let's say you're on the way to an important meeting and get caught in a traffic jam. Would you become impatient?
Or, say you're really tight financially, but you're in line for a promotion that would provide what you need. Then you find that you were skipped over and didn't get the promotion. Would you become impatient?
You make your plans and set your goals for a project, for a family, for school, for a career, etc., but God has different plans and a different timetable. It's difficult not to become impatient with God and His plan.

2. You can become impatient under trial. James' readers were being taken advantage of by rich landowners, who were withholding their wages and mistreating them. There are also many other examples of believers being mistreated:
● Jeremiah was beaten, put in stocks, held in prison, and finally,
into a muddy cistern.
● Job lost his wealth, his family, his health, and his friends.
God does test and try his people to see if they are for real, and if they are, to purify their faith by removing the dross — pride, unhealthy dependence on something or someone else, etc.
Are you under trial? Are you saying, "How long, O Lord, how long?" Or, perhaps you're saying, less eloquently, "Life stinks!"
If that's you, then beware! When impatience is a temptation, so is self-pity. Self-pity is when you feel sorry for yourself and believe that you deserve better. It is dangerous! When self-pity sets in, you can justify any sin—and I mean ANY sin. You reason to yourself, "This is too hard for me. I deserve some relief and some pleasure," And then you go out and do ....

3. You can become impatient with someone else’s weaknesses and sins. This can be a big problem in a church family, where God brings together people from different backgrounds, experiences, idiosyncrasies, and styles of sinning, and says, get along, love each other, and be patient with one another. That's a big challenge for us all.

God expects you to say wholeheartedly,

● "God, your timetable is better than mine. It's hard to wait, but who am I to think that I know better than you?"
● "God, this trial is long and difficult, but I know you are in control and at work in my life to make me more like your Son. Thank you.
● "God, this person is awkward to be around, but you have put us together in the same church family. I need to wash his feet and be patient with him, and he will have to be with me. Thank you, Lord."

How can you cultivate patience in your life? By strengthening your heart, the inner you, where you think, believe, decide, feel, and value things. You need to think of, delight in, and believe the truth of God for patience to be produced in your heart and life.

1. Remember who is making you wait — God. Not your boss or your spouse, but the sovereign and majestic God of heaven and earth, the one person who has perfect wisdom and loves you.

2. When you’re under trial or being mistreated, remember that Christ will right all wrongs when he returns. For now, he is using the trial to produce growth in you, and the process of growth into Christ-likeness is valuable. Remember also that God hasn’t left you alone. He is compassionate and merciful, and will provide for you as he did for Job.

3. When you are dealing with the sins and weaknesses of others, remember how patient God has been and is with you. Jesus endured his suffering patiently, and his suffering of the crown of thorns, the nails, the mocking and the scorn, were far worse than anything you have to endure. He patiently took it for you, and he never lashed out.

Remember how patient and forgiving God is with you. Think of the parable of the unmerciful servant, who forgot the king's patience and kindness to him (Matthew 18:23-35). The next time you feel like tearing into someone who has blown it with you, remember God's patience with you. (Patience doesn't mean saying nothing or being indifferent. It means that you say the truth in love and you lend a helping hand.

Discussion

1. When are you most tempted to be impatient? Which of the three occasions listed in the blog are most challenging to you?
a. when your timetable is disrupted;
b. when you are undergoing a trial;
c. when you have to deal with someone's weaknesses and sins.

2. What thoughts will help you to overcome impatience and respond with genuine, God-pleasing patience?

3. What will you do—specifically and concretely—to help yourself remember how to respond patiently in the future?