Luke 6:43 – “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit”
Galatians 5:22-23 is one of the most memorized scriptures in the bible. This scripture speaks of the fruit that comes out of being part of Jesus and having the Spirit within. It lists many different “fruits” that should be produced from us. In the following sections we are going to discuss the fruits and what they should truly look like in our lives.
“Patience is a virtue.”
The most over-quoted saying ever, possibly, and especially by parents.
What is patience though? There are a couple things to be said about patience from the Bible:
Job – Learning Through Struggles
Job is probably the best example of true patience in the Bible. James has some discussion about it, but it is Job who gives a strong example of what patience really gets us.
When he was patient, even though it was much longer than most of us could deal with, God rewarded him with a better life than before it came crashing down around his ears.
Rewards of Taking a Breath
Patience is usually its own reward and it leads to a larger prize like it says in Proverbs 25:15: “Even a ruler can be brought down if you bring a patient tongue to him” (paraphrase).
Rarely in life do we get what we want by forcing our thoughts down someone’s throat!
If you are lacking in patience, James gives a way for you to build up this perseverance: facing trials.
In James 1:2-5, James says that perseverance is really built up through these trials.
I think one of the most important words in that scripture is that about wisdom being given by God. Proverbs 19:11 says that the one who is wise is the one who is patient.
The Lord knows how to give patience. He also knows that we have to earn the patience sometimes!
Wait For It…
It is often that when we sit still and wait for the outcome to come to us that we find the best solution to whichever problem we are facing.
One of my favorite shows (HIMYM) has a character that always says wait for it.
This is not to ruin something but because he figured out a long time ago that if you wait for it, that thing that was extraoridinary can become legen… wait-for-it… dary!
Be wise my friends and show your wisdom through the waiting.
I know that it is often easier to jump into the fight, jump into resolve, but more often than not, the lack of action can be the best solution.
Do not take me wrong brothers, action is not bad, but do not act rash.
Be patient and the solution will present itself because “God is faithful” (stolen from the middle of 1 Corinthians 10:13 – one of my favorite scriptures).
As I noted in the previous post (on the fruit of Peace), remember this when making decisions or dealing with issues:
God has planned what is coming and wants you to be wise.
Accept his plan and take your time my friends.
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