Are you a patient person? We would all probably admit to losing our patience from time to time, but that does not make us impatient. The question is, does patience characterize us? It should, and, if we are Christians, it does.
To lack patience is to reject the Word of God. Do you remember the parable of the sower? Jesus set forth four kinds of soil which represented the different conditions of the heart. Three were bad and one was good. Now, listen to what Jesus said about the good soil.
Luke 8:15 (ESV)
15 As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.
Patience is not optional. It is what is possessed by those who hold fast God’s Word because it is what the Word teaches us to be.
Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV)
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
The first demonstration of patience is seen by how we treat one another in Christ. Patience, however, is seen in more ways than how we deal with brethren. It is seen by how we deal with all the ups and downs of everyday life.
We need to be patient with people. Some are patient with things but have very little patience when dealing with people. When the Bible speaks of being patient, it is referring to how we deal with people, not things.
We also need to be patient with problems. Not all difficulties in life can be solved overnight. Some problems take days, or even weeks, to resolve, and sometimes even longer than that. We must not let those problems get the best of us, causing us to act in any way that is contrary to the will of God. We must live like Christ even amid the most difficult times of life, patiently trying to solve whatever issue we may be having.
We need patience with our children, our spouses, our brethren, etc. That is the only way we will endure and see the face of the Lord someday.
Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)
1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
As you wind down for the night, think about these things