Fruit of the Spirit - Part 5. Patience

KINDNESS
1. Good will; benevolence; that temper or disposition which delights in contributing to the happiness of others, which is exercised cheerfully in gratifying their wishes, supplying their wants or alleviating their distresses; benignity of nature. Kindness ever accompanies love.
2. Act of good will; beneficence; any act of benevolence which promotes the happiness or welfare of others. Charity, hospitality, attentions to the wants of others, &c., are deemed acts of kindness, or kindnesses. Acts.28.

Some people have mastered the art of kindness. I remember traveling to my Grandmother's house in Chicago and upon arrival, she took us kids to the kitchen where she promptly made us strawberry milk; a delight that wasn't enjoyed at home! She showered us with delicious meals and sent us home with loads of food for the long road ahead.  It was not only to her family that she shows this kindness. She was acknowledged everywhere as a wonderful hostess and woman of God.

When thinking of kindness, I also recall the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible. In the parable told by Jesus in Luke 10,  a Jewish traveler is severely beaten by bandits. A priest and temple assistant both passed by the man and did nothing. Finally, a Samaritan man came to him, bandaged the wounds and arranged for rest and recovery at a local inn. Jesus tells us that the Samaritan man was a neighbor to the Jewish man and to be the ones to show others mercy.

There is great significance in the story of the Good Samaritan. We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. In the time Jesus told his story, religious leaders were so wrapped up in "The Law" that they had set aside their compassion for others. Jesus reminded us that compassion and mercy are valuable traits. Samaritans at the time were not liked, and often mistreated, by Jews. The Good Samaritan showed a great deal of kindness for the Jew by being willing to put revenge or contempt aside to help a hurting man.

Kindness is a fruit we can build on, and a fruit that takes a lot of work. We can easily get caught up in the hassles and demands of everyday life, that we forget how to be kind to one another. We are born selfish. Even in our earliest days, we begged to be served and provided for. We love kindness when it is bestowed upon us, but how quickly do we return that favor or pay it forward?

Hebrews 7:7 - "And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed."

Fruit of the Spirit - Part 5. Patience

Romans 8:25 - "But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently." 

The Jews in Exodus 32:

"The Hebrews were finally free from Egypt, and they were sitting at the foot of Mount Sinai waiting for Moses to come back down from the mountain. Several of the people became restless and went to Aaron requesting that some gods be created for them to follow. So Aaron took their gold and created a sculpture of a calf. The people began to celebrate in "pagan revelry." The celebration angered the Lord, who told Moses that He was going to destroy the people. Moses prayed for their safety, and the Lord allowed the people to live. Yet, Moses was so angry with their impatience that he ordered that those not on the Lord's side be killed. The Lord then sent a "great plague upon the people because they had worshiped the calf Aaron had made." 

WOW! I'm thinking the next time I'm impatient, I'll wait upon the Lord!

Lesson:

Patience is one of the most difficult fruits of the Spirit to possess. While there are differing degrees of patience in different people, it is a virtue most people wish they possessed in greater amounts. Most of us want things "right now." We live in a society that promotes instant gratification. Yet, there is something to the saying, "great things come to those who wait."
The wait on things can be frustrating. After all, you want that promotion right now. Or you want that new car right now on credit instead of waiting to have cash in hand. Advertising tells us that the "now" matters. Yet, the Bible tells us that God has His own timing. We need to wait on that timing or sometimes our blessings get lost.
Eventually the impatience of those Jews cost them their chance to enter the Promised Land. 40 years went by before their descendants were finally given the land. Sometimes God's timing is the most important, because he has other blessings to bestow. We cannot know all of His ways, so it is important to have trust in the delay. Eventually what will come your way will be better than you ever thought it could be, because it will come with God's blessings.

Fruit of the Spirit - Part 1

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do....Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:16-26)

            When we accepted Christ into our hearts, we took up our crosses and "crucified" our ways, our desires, and our life to gain His Life. We put away our old ways and began a new walk with Jesus Christ; to be like him, to share the gospel with others and be a living testimony. 

            We can not do that by our selves. We have to choose to let Christ work in us. We can either choose to walk by the flesh (the natural, desires of the world, sin) or Walk in the Spirit. We can not walk in both, one or the other. To walk in the spirit is to follow Him. Submit to Him, Act how He does. We have to walk and do. Walk in love, Joy, peace, patience as He does. Now you may be thinking, “I already was joyful before I knew Jesus- I don’t need the Holy Spirit…” I would say to that, “it was not true joy then.” It was not perfect, complete, whole, everlasting Joy, if he was not living in you. Now if you still argue you were happier then before knowing Jesus, please tell me because I must be missing something…

            The devil tries to replace the true fruit of the Spirit and the characteristics of Jesus with false replicas of joy, of love and peace that make you feel at peace but 45 minutes later all hell is breaking loose again. The difference is that you are at peace. Peace in the heart, mind soul and body. So many people are out there just chasing and following little fish hooks that “promise” food, but hey, what else are they supposed to eat, if we “believers” are keeping our fruit to our selves. With this fruit, we give. With our new life, we shine.

“At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8-10)

Shine your light. The light He has given you.