Keep in Step with the Spirit 5
In this series, we are covering the fruit of the Holy Spirit as a way to mark whether or not we are keeping in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 [NIV] 22 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
2 Corinthians 1:6 [NIV] If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
Have you ever heard someone say, “Lord give me patience – right away!” If only patience was something that just showed up, we’d all have it. Instead, we must accept that patience is that only comes with waiting. Otherwise, you don’t need it.
How important is patience to the Christian walk?
In Luke 21:5-19, Jesus outlines the terrible times the followers of Jesus will experience close to the end of this age, including being hated, persecuted, and imprisoned. And then He tells us, Luke 21:18-19 [NKJV] 18 "But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your patience possess your souls.”
The Greek word translated patience here means “hopeful endurance”. We are to have patience that is filled with hope. Clearly, something more than just gritting our teeth (metaphorically) and hanging on until the end.
Patience must be grounded in hope. And, since this segment is talking about the times of trial before Jesus returns, I think we can safely assume that the grounding hope that allows us to be patient through it all is the hope of His return being eminent.
Some of that hopeful patience seems to be based on knowing that because we have Christ in us, we have a hope for the future.
Colossians 1:27 [NIV] 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Some of that patient and hopeful endurance could be grounded in the fact that we share the same trials and sufferings, and we see others showing hopeful patience and endurance.
2 Corinthians 1:6 [NIV] If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
We have a lot to look forward to as Christians. And the good times will last for eternity. It can be hard to grasp the magnitude of eternity, but we know that looking back on the sufferings of this world from the vantage point of having received our hope of glory will shrink that suffering into insignificance[.
Romans 8:18 [NIV] I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Now, that is worth patiently and hopefully waiting for as we walk in step with the Spirit.
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or any time at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org