“As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name.”
James 5.10
James points to the need for patience until the Lord’s return. He mentions the OT prophets as examples. They spoke God’s word of repentance to Israel for years under most trying circumstances.
Christ’s people also speak in his name and face suffering because of it. What other parallels with the prophets can be made?
“Patience can persuade a prince, and soft speech can break bones.”
Proverbs 25.15 NLT
In the second collection of Solomon’s proverbs, the king’s role and proper etiquette in his presence predominate in verses 1-15.
How does the Christian show respect to authority and still plead his cause?
Anybody else besides me need to learn this lesson?
Even though I’m not a fan of that foot-loose and fancy-free paraphrase called The Message, I happened across a couple of items in it I thought were good.
Mr. Peterson, the author of the work, describes patience, in Galatians’ fruit of the Spirit, as “a willingness to stick with things,” and self-control as being “able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.”
Those seem to be fairly good depictions, the latter one especially, as far as they go.
Also, from the two descriptions, it’s possible to see that a relationship exists between the two.
How would you qualify these descriptions of the two qualities that the Spirit of God produces in the saint?
Everybody seems to like photos of pets, so here’s an illustration of long-suffering.
Long-suffering, both an adjective and a noun, has fallen out of use. When the KJV used it in 1611, it was a fairly new term, having arisen around 1520-30. Maybe the synonym “patience” covers what was lost by it. Maybe not.
In the age of Facebook, where ever is heard every discouraging word and moan, long-suffering does not sit well. Collins defines the adjective as “enduring pain, unhappiness, etc, without complaint.” MacMillan says it means “patient, despite having problems or being badly treated over a long period of time” and gives this archaic example phrase, “his long-suffering wife.”
Nobody accepts suffering today. Isn’t that true? To say “nobody” is obviously an exaggeration, but please permit the hyperbole. This generation thinks suffering is just plain wrong. It’s something that has to be eradicated, like, say, the wearing of fur coats or the use of fossil fuels. And to be long-suffering? That’s just sick. Continue reading
Are you bearing a burden today that makes you feel discouraged and worthless? Is it hard for you to sleep peacefully and enjoy a mind that is under God’s control? Today there are multitudes of people who are hurting so very much and may even feel that God is not aware and listening to their prayers and answering them.
Let me urge you to read Psalm 40. Of course there are many other passages of scripture in the word of God that will help us, but in this section of scripture we find a man who feels exactly as we do when our hearts are broken and life is so very, very, difficult.
He says in v. 12, “For innumerable evils have surrounded me; My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; They are more than the hairs of my head, therefore my heart fails me.”
Have you felt that your life is just like this? What can we do in such a condition as this? Continue reading
“The man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense” Proverbs 19:11.
According to the world, if insulted, the bigger man is the one who can give it back in the wittiest and weightiest way. But God says it is to a man’s glory to overlook an offense!
That takes patience, which is a product of wisdom, which God tells us He will give us if we ask without finding fault. But most of us don’t want to pray for patience because we know that God often gives us situations in which the fruit of patience will have opportunity to grow.
That’s just it; patience is a fruit of the Spirit that must grow in us, but one we’d rather not cultivate. We hope that life will go along so smoothly that we won’t have any reason to show patience. Then, when offended, we lash out as impatiently as the world, and the world would never be able to tell that we follow Christ.
Don’t have wisdom enough to pray for patience to grow in your life? Ask so you may receive so it can then be to your glory to overlook an offense! Then the world will glorify God as well.
Got patience?
Doug Kashorek
Plattsburgh church of Christ
www.plattsburghchurch.com
author of Kin of Cain
a Christian historical fantasy
www.douglaskashorek.com