This week I’m continuing a blog series on the fruit of the Spirit. I’m excited about this series and I’m believing God that we continue to be FRUITFUL! So this week let’s talk about The Fruit of the Spirit – Patience.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.-Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV
Patience is not something our society has built for us. As a matter of fact our society has become one of convenience and speed. We don’t write letters anymore, we send email. We don’t cook great food, we have mediocre food handed through a window. We don’t know our bankers name because use a machine built into a wall. All of these modern conveniences are great up to a point. What happens when we’re in a situation and we have to wait? Waiting? Really? We aren’t conditioned to wait anymore. We live in a “want it, get it” world and it caters to impatience. I’ve learned over the years that waiting is a part of God’s plan for us and it builds whatever we need in us to sustain us when we live out our purpose. As a parent, I’ve learned to become very patient with my children… especially when they act a mess and don’t get it! I think it’s just a very tiny glimpse into the patience God has with us as a Heavenly Father. He’s so patient with us.
He wants us to be like Him so he gives us the fruit of the Spirit. Patience is a fruit that is grown in our lives and like peace, it is grown through hard times not when everything is good.
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. -James 1:2-4 NKJV
Patience has a work in us that we know nothing of. It creates in us the perfect work of God. We may want the next level, we may want that promotion, we may want to plant that church, or start that business. We pray and ask God and nothing seems to happen. So what gives? What’s the deal? Doesn’t God wants us to move forward? The answer is yes but not yet. All of God’s promises are “yes and amen” according to 2 Corinthians 1:20 but they aren’t all right now! When we wait patiently…. not just wait impatiently like a little kid at Disney, but wait PATIENTLY, then we see those promises. Don’t give up in your season of waiting. I’ve had to wait through many seasons of my life. The key to waiting is to not compare your life to others. Don’t look around at the lives of other people who seem to be living the destiny you so desperately want. You don’t see their wait so you have no idea what they went through to be where they are. Maybe the best thing we can do is stop looking at social media! That’s just a snapshot of a highlight reel… it’s not real life!
Listen… the testing of your faith produces patience and patience will produce a work of God’s perfection in you…. if you just wait.