Patience [Day 3]
The following are ways that patience can be practiced:
• Patience in hearing and responding to the Word of God • Patience in the presence of trouble generated by our devotion to Christ • Patient faith despite the complexity and busyness of life • Patience with others in the kingdom, whether true or pretend believers • Patience in waiting for the end of the age when Christ will sort things out • Patience in the faith despite the smallness and insignificance of the kingdom • Patience in the faith despite the slow growth of the kingdom • Patience in the faith despite the hiddenness of the kingdom • Patience in prayer
These all show the numerous ways patience can be practiced in our daily lives. Patience in hearing and responding to the Word of God refers to your understanding of God's word. When we wait to hear and respond to God's word, we are giving ourselves time to meditate on the scripture.
Patience in the presence of trouble generated by our devotion to Christ is referring to patience in our long-suffering. This corresponds with faith because if an individual does not believe God can deliver them out of any situation, they have immediately lost patience.
To be patient, you must first ask for it in prayer because God is patience. Patience is a very hard thing to practice because it is very quick to lose patience but much harder to keep patience. This is why prayer is the first step. You must pray and accept the Holy Spirit into your life. Patient faith despite the complexity and busyness of life means to still have the patience, understanding, and belief in the midst of life's troubles.
Patience with others in the kingdom, whether true or pretend believers is mentioned so that we will be tolerant towards our brothers and sisters needless of what they do. Patience in waiting for the end of the age when Christ will come to sort things out is respecting and accepting the news of his second coming and being able to wait it out through the wars, and disasters that will happen.
Patience in the faith despite the smallness and insignificance of the kingdom is when you accept that the kingdom of God will grow eventually. It might not be now but eventually. Don't look at the statistics of the people who practice other faiths altogether. If everyone else were to abandon God and you were the only one left, would you also forsake him because the majority of the people have left?
As said before, God is patience, so once the Holy Spirit consumes your thoughts, words, and actions, it is evident that you will see patience in yourself. In order to maintain that patience, follow the nine key points above.
Write It: What type patience can you improve on, and what can be done to improve this patience?