Patience

Gulp. Whether we're stuck in traffic, late for something or it involves siblings, patience is something we could probably all use another dose of. I was reading in Luke when I came across this verse where Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower:

Luke 8:15
But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Bring forth fruit with patience. Upon reading this I thought "Is patience perhaps not only a good thing to possess but also a necessary thing in living the Christian life?" But first, lets define the term patience. Oxford Canadian Dictionary defines patience as the capacity to accept or endure delay, provocation, or hardship calmly without anger. I also looked it up in a concordance and in the Greek, patience means cheerful endurance. In some cases, it also means longsuffering. So now, not only is patience just enduring without anger, but enduring cheerfully.

Romans 5:3-5
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

So, if patience works experience, experience hope, and that hope maketh not ashamed, then I think it's safe to say that patience can be very beneficial.

1 Timothy 6:11
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

As children of God, we are called to pursue patience, along with righteousness, godliness, faith, love, and meekness.

Hebrews 6:12
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Promises come along with patience as well.

James 1:3,4
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Wow! That's beyond incredible.

2 Peter 1:5-9
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge;
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

Who wants patience by now? Notice that patience along with all these other qualities not only need to be in us, but they need to abound so that we may be fruitful and grow in the knowledge of our Lord.

I think by now, it's safe to say that patience is not only a good option, but a needful thing; not an easy thing, but a necessary one. There are also many wonderful things that come along with it. So I suppose that's enough of my rambling but when you take many different portions of scripture on one topic, you can get much more out of it and makes these qualities much more desirable.

Thanks for reading and I hope you got something out of it. God bless!