I’ve
heard those words come out of the mouths of friends and family members. You
have too, right? Maybe you’ve even said such things.
I
think most of the time they’re spoken in jest, but sometimes they’re not. When
they’re said seriously, they bother me a lot. Such words dishonor our loving
God. They suggest that God is mean-spirited or that he doesn’t do all things
for our good. They imply that one of God’s good and perfect gifts is somehow
flawed and undesirable.
Patience
is a gift from God, you know? Listen to these words that Paul wrote to the
Galatians.
“But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
(Galatians 5:22-23)
Doesn’t
this list of qualities include many things you regularly ask for? You ask for
joy in the midst of difficult circumstances. You plead for peace when
everything around you is falling apart. And haven’t you asked for self-control more
than once or twice?
You
know you need these good things, so you pray for them. So why would you not,
then, pray also for patience? Do you not want God to display his power and
glory in your life in this way?
The
fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of God’s presence in you. They are traits
that God himself possesses. He gives them to each and every one of children, so
that those who love him and follow him can show the world what he’s like. So
ask God to give you all of them…patience included.
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