AUGUST 7

Forming Patience

Galatians 5:22-23

MAYBE YOU’VE UTTERED the American’s prayer at some anxious moment recently:

“Lord, give me patience . . . and I want it right now!”

This rare and remarkable virtue is found among the and-so-forth section of the fruit of the Spirit, unfortunately. We say —“You know what the Bible says . . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, and so forth . . .” Our verbal habit has caused a very important series of virtues to become forgotten. Allow me to quote Galatians 5:22-23 in full:

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

GALATIANS 5:22-23

Will you notice the fourth on the list? Patience. I suppose we could coin an expression for patience —long-tempered —and not miss the accurate meaning very far.

I find that this characteristic is a needed quality for the pastor of a flock too. Paul wrote:

We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. . . . We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.

2 CORINTHIANS 6:3-4, 6

Patience is not something you muster in those times when your faith is tested. Patience is slowly formed in you by the Holy Spirit. Trust Him. Walk in obedience to His Word . . . then, wait for it, wait for it, wait for it. It’s there. It’ll emerge. Right when you need it.