Dave continued his series on the fruit of the Spirit this morning, looking at the subject of patience. Christians may well often regard this gift in the same way that people feel when opening socks on Christmas Day! – we may need patience, but we don’t always want it! The world seems to place little value on patience, preferring a get-up-and-go attitude which sees little virtue in waiting. Nonetheless, we need this fruit and must learn to see it through God’s eyes.

What is patience?

Patience is not indifference or not caring, nor is it co-dependency (where we put up with things because we are overly dependent on someone) or laziness. Patience is restraint, learning to think before we speak and act. It is an ability to persevere, an ability not to give in to despair. It is also an awareness that ‘now’ is not the only time frame available to God!

Why is patience important?

Patience acts as the oil which helps relationships to function smoothly. Prov 14:29 reminds us of the wisdom of patience and 1 John 5:3 reminds us that God’s commands are not burdensome. When we feel that they are, it’s usually because of we are not prepared to wait; we disobey God because we want things NOW. Patience not only helps us to avoid sin, it helps us to overcome trials. Js 1:2-3 shows us that trials and testings achieve a purpose, that of developing perseverance within us. Rom 12:12 urges us to ‘be patient in affliction’, and without patience we easily become complaining whiners who fail to understand that God’s purposes often take time to be fulfilled. Abraham and Sarah had to wait many years for the fulfilment of God’s promises and we easily succumb to the temptation to ‘fix things’ our way, rather than preparing to wait for God. As we wait for God to act, we learn patience and that His timing is far superior to ours!

How does patience develop?

The Bible offers us many commands to simply ‘be patient’ (see Eph 4:2, 1 Thess 5:14, Rom 12:12, Col 3:12), without necessarily giving us clear explanations as how this happens. First of all, though, we must value patience. Instead of seeing it as the ‘Cinderella’ of God’s gifts, we have to understand the purpose of patience, ask for it (since we can bear no fruit unless we abide in Jesus, Jn 15:5) and actively seek it (Col 3:12 talks of clothing ourselves with these virtues.) God is patient with us, and as we focus on that fact, we find He develops patience within us. Patience, ultimately, is about our dependence on God, rather than wanting always to run our own lives. Waiting on God is vital if we are to become the people God wants us to be and possess the promises He has given us.