40 Days Pondering the Fruit of the Spirit
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 5 | PATIENCE
40 Days PONDERING the FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Day 5 | PATIENCE
PATIENCE
Galatians 5:22
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, LONGSUFFERING…"
Longsuffering – or “patience” or “forbearance” in some translations – can mean: “waiting sufficient time before expressing anger.”
Today, the dictionary also uses synonyms such as “tolerance” and “sufferance.”
One of the things this word seems to suggest is that “patience” can be tested and is not the same as “infinite” (or eternal) patience. Thus, we seem to have phrases such as “lose patience” or “at the end of one’s patience.”
I, though, like the common phrase, “the patience of a saint.” For, after all, aren’t we in Christ “saints”? (Yes!)
Webster’s revised unabridged dictionary says longsuffering means: “bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient; not easily provoked.”
We live today in a world that seems to have generally lost its patience. People drive – and run red lights – because they have no patience (it seems). Besides being rude and selfish, it is dangerous and puts others’ lives at risk. Many drivers seem perpetually “late” for something essential and thus are too often impatient.
I was the first at a signal corner a while ago, and a little old lady was crossing the street on the crosswalk. I started to turn, then saw her and waited for her to go across. Someone a couple of cars behind me obviously did NOT see what was happening and leaned on his horn. Though annoying, I just put up with it and thought the real problem was that he was ignorant of what was really going ahead of him.
And perhaps that is a KEY for all of us… to realize that sometimes we don’t have ALL the facts and can’t see what’s happening on the “crosswalk” up ahead.
Prayer: LORD, help me to be more patient with others in my life. Help me to take the high road when I can and to consider that I may not have all the information that they do. Amen.
Galatians 5:22
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, LONGSUFFERING…"
Longsuffering – or “patience” or “forbearance” in some translations – can mean: “waiting sufficient time before expressing anger.”
Today, the dictionary also uses synonyms such as “tolerance” and “sufferance.”
One of the things this word seems to suggest is that “patience” can be tested and is not the same as “infinite” (or eternal) patience. Thus, we seem to have phrases such as “lose patience” or “at the end of one’s patience.”
I, though, like the common phrase, “the patience of a saint.” For, after all, aren’t we in Christ “saints”? (Yes!)
Webster’s revised unabridged dictionary says longsuffering means: “bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient; not easily provoked.”
We live today in a world that seems to have generally lost its patience. People drive – and run red lights – because they have no patience (it seems). Besides being rude and selfish, it is dangerous and puts others’ lives at risk. Many drivers seem perpetually “late” for something essential and thus are too often impatient.
I was the first at a signal corner a while ago, and a little old lady was crossing the street on the crosswalk. I started to turn, then saw her and waited for her to go across. Someone a couple of cars behind me obviously did NOT see what was happening and leaned on his horn. Though annoying, I just put up with it and thought the real problem was that he was ignorant of what was really going ahead of him.
And perhaps that is a KEY for all of us… to realize that sometimes we don’t have ALL the facts and can’t see what’s happening on the “crosswalk” up ahead.
Prayer: LORD, help me to be more patient with others in my life. Help me to take the high road when I can and to consider that I may not have all the information that they do. Amen.
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