Tending the Garden for a Good Harvest: Patience
Over the past four weeks, we’ve been looking at the fruit of the Spirit, aspects of the Holy Spirit that are necessarily evident in the lives of Christians. We started out talking about love, how God is love – His love overflows into us, and when we are full of the Holy Spirit, His love overflows from us as well. We talked about joy, how the Holy Spirit enables us to be joyful even in tough circumstances. Last weekend we talked about peace, and for many of us, that peace was tested this week in a time of tragedy.
Remember that when we talk about the Fruit of the Spirit, we’re not talking about nine different “fruits” that we can pick and choose from; we are talking about nine different aspects of the same Fruit – that all nine are evident in the lives of those who the Holy Spirit indwells. Remember also that the Holy Spirit is not just some impersonal force, but is a Person. This is important as we discuss the next aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit.
When we talk about love, joy, and peace, I can’t imagine someone not wanting these. In fact, I can’t really imagine someone not wanting these. But when it comes to the next aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit, well, maybe we don’t want to work as hard for it.
Today we’re talking about patience. Sometimes it’s hard to deal with outside circumstances beyond our control; I remember a colleague and his wife showing up late to an office Christmas party; she was so flustered about being the last one there that when the waiter asked her for a drink order she spluttered, “Give me something strong!” The waiter started giving a list of alcoholic beverages that were available at the bar, but she went on, “Bring me a coffee! Decaf!”
She was riled up because of the circumstances. There are other people who are cool, calm and collected in the face of tough circumstances. If you’ve been reading the newsletter, you already know that the Greek word for is hypomone.
This isn’t the kind of patience we’re talking about today. Today’s aspect of the Fruit of the Spirit is makrothumia, which in the King James translation, is often rendered “longsuffering.” This kind of patience is specific to interpersonal relationships. This is what we read of when we read verses like this: Colossians 3:12-13 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Patience, longsuffering, is characterized by bearing with each other and forgiving grievances.
This is probably the most foreign aspect of the fruit of the spirit that we’ve talked about yet. We are extremely impatient when it comes to outside circumstances – we want what we want, and we want it now! And we are even less patient with other people than with circumstances. I mean, honestly, this is the one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit that I see as severely lacking right here in our community – in our church even.
I was meeting with some of my pastor friends this week and one of my friends mentioned someone who consistently gets under his skin. This person was at it again, and my friend asked us our opinion on the conflict. Another friend asked, “If it had been I who had done this, would you be so upset?” Truth was, he was upset less because of the circumstance, but more because of the person. He was a repeat offender, if you know what I mean.
Many of us have this kind of person in our lives. Maybe it’s a family member. Maybe it’s an old friend who you’ve had a falling-out with. Maybe it’s a friend of a friend. Maybe it’s “The Onion” who sucks the joy out of every room. Some of you have already come up with a mental picture of that person, that really hard to love person.
I think we can all think of someone who is hard to love, who is hard to bear with. Who is hard to forgive. In fact, we can probably think of someone we absolutely do not want to treat this way. We would much rather ignore them. Or withhold forgiveness from them. When it comes down to it, it’s pretty clear that we’re not very patient with one another. We all have things and certain people that push our buttons. Sometimes they seem purposely to do things to push our buttons. Doesn’t that frustrate you? It does me!
It can be easy to get frustrated and do everything in our power to steer clear of people like that, and honestly, when we encounter those certain people, the fight or flight reflex starts kicking in: we want to fight them or get out of there! That’s just natural! We’d rather spend our time with those loving, joyful, peaceful people we talked about over the last three weeks!
Did you know, however, that when we talk about patience, the ultimate example of patience is God himself? In Exodus 34, God is giving Moses the 10 Commandments. In verse 5, it says that the LORD came down in the cloud and stood with Moses and proclaimed his name, the Lord. In verses 6-7a, it continues: And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin.”
This isn’t just God talking; He’s saying what his name means! This is a fantastic summary of who God is. Did you get that “slow to anger” part? That is the Hebrew word for “longsuffering” or “patience.” That is who God is.
And because God is like this, we read scriptures like we read earlier: 2 Peter 3:8-9 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends. With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God’s patience is purposeful. God is patient and loving with us because He loves us and he wants us to turn toward him.
And God calls us to treat those hard to “bear with” people the same way. He calls us to treat them with his love. In Matthew 25, Jesus presents a picture of judgment day, when all people are gathered before him, and he separates the people as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.
"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'
"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Think of that person you have a hard time loving. Think of that person who takes every ounce of your patience not to punch. Whatever you did for that person, you did for Jesus. Anyone here good at this? Especially when those “least of these” stay in the same place and keep doing the same wrong things over and over again?
Am I the only one who gets fed up with people who keep on doing the same things? But Paul writes this in Romans 2:1-4 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
God’s patient kindness leads us toward repentance. And we as Christians are supposed to be vessels of the Holy Spirit: God Himself lives within us! So we don’t have to rely on our own patience, but pray for God to be patient through us!
Paul tells Timothy this in 1 Timothy 1:15-16 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.
God has shown patience to each of us, even though, if you’re anything like me, you keep doing the same things over and over again. Yet in us, the worst of sinners, Jesus Christ displays his unlimited patience. Wow! And Peter echoes Paul. 2 Peter 3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
You see it’s all about God’s timing – and He isn’t in a hurry. He wants everyone to come to him. And if we let him, he will work through us as well.
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