Moderator
Staff Member
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. Proverbs 25:15
Paul said, “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4). The Greek word for patient means “bearing offenses” or “persevering through troubles”—the idea being, that if you’re being patient, you’re suffering bravely.
That implies intention; you have to want to be patient, you have to be willing to put up with slings and arrows of outrageous fortune because you see a greater goal beyond them. Otherwise, your patience does no good. It drives you nuts, and an unappreciative recipient will just carry on as usual once the danger of your wrath is past.
In a parable, Jesus told of the king who forgave his servant a huge debt after the man begged him, “Be patient with me” (Matthew 18:16). But then the guy demanded payment from another servant who owed him far less than he had owed the king. When his pal asked for patience, he had none and had the guy thrown in jail. The king was stunned. His patience came to an end because the servant hadn’t taken it to heart—didn’t appreciate the gravity of his debt or the extent of his mercy.
God requires you to be patient—slow to boil, waiting for understanding. Fortunately, God offers patience as a gift of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). You can love someone who is unlovable because God loved you first: He was patient.
Paul said, “Love is patient” (1 Corinthians 13:4). The Greek word for patient means “bearing offenses” or “persevering through troubles”—the idea being, that if you’re being patient, you’re suffering bravely.
That implies intention; you have to want to be patient, you have to be willing to put up with slings and arrows of outrageous fortune because you see a greater goal beyond them. Otherwise, your patience does no good. It drives you nuts, and an unappreciative recipient will just carry on as usual once the danger of your wrath is past.
In a parable, Jesus told of the king who forgave his servant a huge debt after the man begged him, “Be patient with me” (Matthew 18:16). But then the guy demanded payment from another servant who owed him far less than he had owed the king. When his pal asked for patience, he had none and had the guy thrown in jail. The king was stunned. His patience came to an end because the servant hadn’t taken it to heart—didn’t appreciate the gravity of his debt or the extent of his mercy.
God requires you to be patient—slow to boil, waiting for understanding. Fortunately, God offers patience as a gift of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). You can love someone who is unlovable because God loved you first: He was patient.