Love Is Patience

Patience, in the original Greek language was mak-roth-oo-meh'-o Origin: from the same as 3116: patient, persevering, bear long, be long-suffering, be patient, have patience, have long patience, to bear long, be long-suffering, patiently endure.

Patience comes into the Christian by grace, through the Holy Spirit. It is the fruit of God's Love, now abiding in us, as a result of our decision to trust in and rely upon Him. This Patience is developed, over time through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and often a certain amount of suffering.

As I said earlier in our study of Love, God "is" LOVE and therefore patience is simply one of His attributes, a part of His nature. GOD is patient, and cannot be otherwise.

But what does it mean that God is patient?

When we look through the whole (entire) bible and sum up all of Gods nature, it appears that it is the power of God over Himself which reflects the greatest example of patience. God's patience with Himself is even greater than His patience with His creations (you and I).

The bible says that, "The Lord is slow to anger," and then it says, "and abundant in mercy."

Numbers 14:18 "The Lord is long-suffering and slow to anger, and abundant in mercy and loving-kindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression."

This suggests that God's patience towards His creatures is His power over Himself. Look at the fallen condition of this world (again). What Human Being would not have VAPORIZED everything for having his creation turned so far away from him?

ONLY GOD can reveal such perfect patience. The power of God is more manifest in His patience to a multitude of sinners than it could be in creating millions of worlds out of nothing; this is the power over Himself. God is Not patient with our sin. Listen to me, my friends, GOD HATES SIN. Therefore He is NOT patient with our SIN, BUT HE LOVES THE SINNERS.

Every time we continue in sin, Judgement HAS to be made SWIFTLY because God is Perfect. That sin is immediately dealt with by the placement of it INTO the BODY of CHRIST. Fortunately God has already dealt with sin at Calvary. This single act of love included the coverage of sins 'FUTURE TENSE'. GODS patience over Himself far surpasses His patience with Man. God has truly shown His patience with this fallen World and even that FINAL moment of perfected patience which He has hidden from even CHRIST will come.

GOD IS PATIENT AND YOU ARE THE OBJECT OF HIS PATIENCE. He patiently awaits the fullness of your days here and awaits your reign with Him through all of eternity. You have been in the spotlight of His affection since eternity past. God is Patient my friends.

You and I are not able to produce this kind of patience on our own. Patience, like any other fruit (or element) of love, is manifested from within the christian by his awareness, attentiveness, (being sensitive to) the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is constantly directing, leading, stirring us toward the right thing to do or say and away from anything else. Our attentiveness and obedience to His leading is critical to reflecting Gods' love outward.

On the flip side of patience is eagerness, restless, and anxious. We know these characteristics reflect a distrust in Gods plan and in His Word.

Matthew 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?"

We should be thankful for, and desiring of, Gods' Patience. Trusting the advise of the Holy Spirit in all things would be the greatest example of your appreciation for God being patient.

In the life of the believer, decisions of all kinds run through our mind about how to respond to the world around us. When the Doctors office calls with bad news, our mind kicks in with thoughts of every kind. Being patient would mean "hushing" yourself so that instead of making the decision from your mind, you can make the decision from your heart... from inside.

This takes time to develop this kind of living, because our will is so strong. Your mind keeps calculating all the scientific or practical things you could do, but deep inside you, somethings, keeps saying, "get a second opinion before you agree to that surgery."

Then your mind says, "but you have been with this doctor for eight years now". Throughout the day, reasons why you must hurry your decision and "get this thing going", but still the Spirit says, "get a second opinion."

Sometimes being Patient doesn't make sense to the average person, but Trusting God can save us from so many wrong decisions.

Trust in and Rely upon the Lord today, through Patience.

I Love you.