January 26, 2015

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…” Psalm 37:7

“It is good that one should wait quietly…” Lamentations 3:26

“And we urge you…admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil…”
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15

I have bible study APP on my Ipad, and my phone, and my…well you get the point. It gives you the option to look up passages based on categories. When I looked up the category of “patience”, there were 52 suggestions of scripture passages. What does that say to you? It says to me that one of the most important teachings in the New and Old Testament is the teaching of patience. It is one of Paul’s “Fruits of the Spirit”. It seems that humans have been impatient, hard-headed, and restless since creation. Do I have to remind you of the story of Adam and Eve and their disobedience in the Garden. Must I mention the story of Cain and Abel, the Prodigal Son and others to suggest that at the heart of their journeys is the heart of a people who are restless and impatient.

Many know the saying “Patience is a virtue”, and can assume that patience means “waiting without complaint”. Why is it a virtue? Because it is so difficult to develop as a constant, consistent behavior – especially when that behavior is deemed to be morally good and valued. So to improve the initial definition above, to be patient is to endure without complaint. This calls into play some other virtues, specifically, self-control, humility, and generosity. That is, patience is not a fundamental virtue so much as the complex interplay of other virtues.

A wise man once told me that the definition of optimism is a man who puts his coat on when his wife says she is ready to leave. The patient optimist is a man who puts on his coat to wait patiently for his wife when she says she is ready to leave. How do we develop patience? Like any of the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, generosity, faithfulness, and self-control) we look to the Holy Spirit who perfects all virtues.

Pastor Dave