15
The Fruit of Patience
| Bro Gift Lungu (Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe)
W
e live in a society based on demanding
and getting what we want immediately.
We thrive on the fast track of convenience.
The results? The number of road-rage inci-
dents has tripled in the past two years. People
are all in a hurry to get to somewhere without
slowing down long enough to exercise common
driving courtesy.
Modern lifestyles have left little room for
patience. Yet there are some things in life and
in our walk with God that simply can’t be
rushed. Someone once said, “Do not sacrifice
the permanent on the altar of the immedi-
ate.” When we try to rush things ahead of God
and His timing, we settle for a fast food meal
of short term satisfaction, rather than the
nutritious and slow-cooked meal He would like
to serve us. There is such a thing as spiritual
malnutrition - in time it could do permanent
damage to our souls.
“Let patience have its perfect work,
that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
James 1:4
It’s not without examples and reasons - God’s
word lists patience as one of the fruits of the
Spirit. In a self-serving world, we could take a
refresher course in the art of patience and
long-suffering. We want instant answers, even
from God, yet we see by example that God’s
chosen vessels have always gone through a
process of testing and timing. Joseph endured
rejection from his own family and was left for
dead. There were no instant answers for him.
Trusting God was all he had left. In time, God
raised him, honoured him, and even gave him
the compassion to help the very family who
had abandoned and betrayed him.
God always has a permanent plan for your life
– and He will go to great lengths to make sure
you don’t sacrifice that plan on the altar of
immediate solutions. Trust God’s timing as He
works patience in your heart.
Begin with a Forgiving Heart
| Sis Gertrude Simiyo (Turbo, Kenya)
F
aith will not work when there is ‘no for-
giveness’ about us. Notice that Jesus said,
“And when ye stand praying, forgive.” (Mark
11:25.) If there is no spirit, nor an air of for-
giveness about us, then our faith will not work
and our prayers will not be heard. This is the
only hindrance to faith Jesus ever mentioned.
We should try not to permit anything evil to
come into our mind about anyone, nor to think
anything evil or resentful about anyone - no
matter what they do to us, or what they say
about us. We should not permit this to affect
us: perhaps we think we can’t forgive some-
one, but remember Jesus never asked us to do
something we could not do. If so, he would be
unjust.
We are commanded in the Word of the Lord to
“let nothing destroy your faith and good
works.” We are instructed to “shape your
lives” by the words of John the messenger of
the Covenant brings to us. For these words
spoken by John the Baptist describe the Lord’s
will for us, and “our mission is one of love and
deliverance.” (Mark 1:2-4). For “the way is
prepared that mankind may walk therein
and be saved.” Now the decrees of God are
unalterable and therefore cannot be changed.
T
o forgive is to set a prisoner
free and discover the prisoner
was YOU.
Matthew 6:14-15 KJV
“For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
But if ye forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.”