Patience

Patience! Now that's a virtue in short supply, but with a tremendous demand. Western society is fast paced. We went from fast food, to drive thru fast food, because it's faster. Then, we get impatient waiting in the drive thru lane!

My son once told me, "I'm not a waiting guy."

But patience is an absolutely critical virtue and practice for living in the faith class. For we'll see that without patience, our faith will come up short.

What is Patience?

To be patient is to persevere, to endure, and to continue. It is definitely not sitting by and just waiting for that faith thing to work. The Word of God contrasts patience with laziness:

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)

We support our faith with patience. We persevere, endure, and continue in our faith walk and our faith talk. Then we receive the promise. God show us that living in the faith class is a process, a progression. We do the will of God, we exercise patience, we receive.

For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Hebrew 10:36 (KJV)

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James 1:3-4 (KJV)

How Do I Get Patience?

I remember a story of a man who prayed "God, I need patience, and I NEED IT NOW!"

In the natural, we can develop a level of patience, just like we can develop a level of self-control, and other virtues or character qualities. But true patience is a spiritual virtue. It is a gift of God, the fruit of God's Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22 (NIV)

We receive these virtues when we receive the life of God, when we became a new creation, when we were born again. (See Get Started for more information.) Now we yield to them, we develop our ability to act with these virtues.

Practice

Start each day with this simple proclamation:

I yield to the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control in everything I say and do today.

By faith and patience I inherit and receive the promise, the blessing of God in my life!