A Blog of Encouragement from our Pastors
The WEekly Word
weekly word – 4/24/2025
Patience and Longsuffering
Very few of us can say that we don't need to learn how to be more patient. Just when we think we have it figured out or "conquered", we soon realize that we've got so much more to learn and that we're not very patient at all. Oftentimes we hear how we need to be careful about asking God to teach us patience because it usually comes with testing, or difficult trials. It's not for the weak and weary. But if our heart is in the right place and our desire is to be more like Christ, should we shy away from it?
Patience is becoming more and more difficult because of the culture that we currently live in. Fast-food has become more popular because we've got so many other things to tend to that we don't have time to enjoy a meal, perhaps engaging in conversation with someone. We don't even have time to go to the restaurant and have to rely on someone else picking up and delivering our food to our doorstep.
I remember the days when I ordered something through the mail and waited 2-4 weeks to receive it. As I often joke, you can order something online today and get it yesterday!
Patience is something that I believe God wants to develop in us. It requires slowing down, "being still" in order to recognize who God is and what He is doing around us. When we rush around, we miss these moments and opportunities to engage with God.
Some have been criticised for praying, "God give me more patience, and give it to me now!
Don't get me wrong, there is something about being efficient with our time or getting more accomplished with the time we have, but we need to be careful not to do anything in haste. Proverbs 28:25-25 says, "When a person, impatient to do things his way, trusts in his own knowledge rather than in the Lord, the result is foolishness. But when he is dependent on God, he is wise and avoids trouble."
When we've learned to slow down and be more patient and dependent on God, He brings us to the next level. He begins to teach us longsuffering. This is the graduate level of patient living. Longsuffering in the Greek means to be long-tempered. Being long-tempered is a greater form of patience that isn't affected when stirred to anger and remains calm in the face of provocation. It doesn't stir us to immediate retaliation or punishment. Instead, it is characterised by a willingness to wait and bear with others, even when they are difficult.
The Bible portrays God as being longsuffering, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. This is often seen as a demonstration of His grace and willingness to give people time to repent.
What does this mean for us? We are called to reflect God's longsuffering in our own lives. We can learn to be patient with those who make mistakes and be quick to forgive those who offend us. It can also lead to conversations where we can share the Gospel as we explain why we respond to offensive behavior in a way that Christ did. Jesus' ministry was marked by patience and compassion, even when faced with rejection and opposition.
Patience is something we can all strive to be better at. We just need to be intentional about it and consider how to demonstrate it before we are faced with challenges.
In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul urges us to, "live worthy of the calling you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."
Pastor Bryan
PREVIOUS ARTICLES
4/17/2025 – Forgiveness is a Big Deal – Ed
4/03/2025 – Spiritual Investing – Bryan
3/27/2025 – What's this thing called "Grace"? – Ed
3/13/2025 – In Spirit and in Truth – Bryan
2/20/2025 – The Many Manifestations of Love – Bryan
2/13/2025 – Bright Light or Dim Bulb? – Ed
2/06/2025 – Zechariah 14: 16-21 – David
1/30/2025 – Know the Gospel, Be Grounded in the Gospel... – Bryan
1/23/2025 – The Unbroken Circle – Ed
1/16/2025 – Zechariah 14:12-15 – David
1/08/2025 – Live with Intentionality – Bryan
1/01/2025 – Pride, and God's Answer – Ed