It has been said that patience is a virtue. A virtue is a behavior showing high moral standards. The Apostle Paul lists this high moral standard of patience as a Fruit of the Spirit. The patience that we will be discussing this morning is not self-willed but rather, a product of the Spirit of God who dwells in you, the believer. Having said that, each of us must freely allow the Spirit to develop this behavior in us. As with love, joy and peace, patience stands out as a glowing personality trait being something that people desire. By definition, patience is “waiting without complaining”. I would like to add one additional thought to this definition – Patience is waiting with discomfort, without complaining. As we look at this fruit of patience today, let us compare our patience to the patience of Jesus. Imagine all the waiting with discomfort Jesus must have experienced with His followers who constantly misunderstood and misapplied His teachings. Imageine the patience of Christ as they hung Him on a Cross while He prayed, “Father forgive them”. The problem is THE INCREDIBLE we are told to imitate Him! Today, let’s work on understanding this virtue of patience.
First Southern Baptist Church of Yucca, AZ