Sunday's Message: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit - A Look at Galatians 5:22-23 (Patience)

On Friday, August 12, SPC had its annual Summer Day Camp entitled “Big Heart Farms: Where God’s Fruit Grows.” During the day, the children looked at Galatians 5:22-23 and talked about the Fruit of the Spirit. Building on this theme, during nine of our worship services, we’ll consider how we can integrate this fruit into our own lives. We’ll focus on the following qualities:

• August 14 - Love
• August 21 - Joy
• August 28 - Peace
• September 4 - Patience
• September 11 - Kindness
• September 18 - Generosity
• September 25 - Faithfulness
• October 2 - Gentleness
• October 9 - Self-control

And so, as we move into the Fall, let’s talk about how we might cultivate the most important crop of all, the Fruit of the Spirit.

In this fourth message, we considered patience as a spiritual fruit. The sermon text and podcast is below:

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As I think most of y’all know, this morning we’re going to continue the series we started about three weeks ago entitled Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit: A Look at Galatians 5:22-23. It’s based on the theme of our Vacation Bible School, and it’s focused on this passage from Paul’s letter to the Galatians:

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. [Galatians 5:22-23, NRSVUE]

And over the last few Sundays, we’ve looked at the first three spiritual fruits, starting with love, something we said was essential and active and Godly. And then we focused on joy and talked about how it’s given and empowering and contagious. And last week, we talked about peace and how it can change our perspective of God and others and ourselves. And remember, you can find both the sermons and the services on our Facebook page, YouTube channel and church blog. Now that's where we've been.

And this morning, we’re going to shift our focus to what Paul identified as the fourth Fruit of the Spirit, namely patience. And if, as I suggested last week, if peace is in short supply now-a-days, well, I think the same thing could be said about patience. I mean, let’s face it, we live in a pretty fast paced world, where most things need to be done yesterday. And even though we’re living a heck of a lot longer than we did one hundred years ago, waiting for what we want and expect, man, most of us just don’t have time for that kind of nonsense. If we want it, we want it now; that’s just the way it’s supposed to be, right? At least, that’s what every kid seems to believe, and that’s why they have no problem badgering mom and dad for that new iPhone 14 or chanting from the backseat on any trip that takes more than thirty minutes, “Are we there yet.” And that’s what every young adult seems to believe, and that’s why they assume they should bring in the same income their parents earn and they should enjoy the benefits of having a job with one company for twenty years. And if we’re honest with ourselves, every senior citizen, you know, folks like me, man, we believe it too. I mean, we may talk about how young people don’t know anything about delayed gratification, certainly not like us. But if traffic is backed up going west on 80 or if they’re having a hard time getting parts for our leased Honda after hitting a deer or if our daughter, let’s say at WVU, hasn’t gotten us the information on her new apartment soon enough, well, delayed gratification isn’t her problem, is it? Let’s just say that most of us tend to be a little bit like the rest of our world. And I believe that applies to Christians just like it does everyone else. I mean, although we may pray for patience, deep down I think most of us expect God to give it to us right now.

And since this would surely seem to be the way it is and since it’s also Paul’s fourth spiritual fruit, we’re going to talk about patience this morning. You see, we’re going to use some scripture to answer two questions: first, why is patience important and second, how might we develop it in our own lives. Now that’s the plan.

And like I just said, it all starts with that first question, why is patience important? In other words, why is this something that Paul considered important enough to put right up there with love and joy and peace? And why is it a quality that we might want to develop and to strengthen in our own lives? I mean, why is patience important for us, right here and right now? Now that’s the question.

And the answer, well, I think it comes down to four things that’ll happen the more patient we become. For example, first, I believe patience improves our decisions. And that just makes sense. I mean, if I’m in this big hurry and if I’m trying to get everything now, I’m probably not going to be doing a lot of thinking. And I’m probably not going to do much planning. In fact, I’m probably not going to take a lot of time evaluating my options; therefore, I’m probably going to rely on my guts rather than my brain. And I’m going to do it, even though I know, deep down, that’s probably going to result in less than sound judgement and less than rational decisions. It’s like that old saying, “Marry in haste, repent at leisure.” Or, as the writer of the Proverbs said,  

It’s smart to be patient,

but it’s stupid

    to lose your temper. [Proverbs 14:29, CEV]

You see, when we’re patient, I believe our decisions will improve. That’s one benefit.

And second, I believe patience strengthens our relationships. I mean, as everybody who’s been married knows, developing closeness and genuine intimacy, man, that takes time. And the willingness to take this time, that takes patience, doesn’t it? You see, whether you’re talking about two people or a community, strong and growing relationships just don’t happen. And I’ll tell you, I think that’s what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he wrote this to the Romans: “God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ.” [Romans 15:5, CEV] You see, I believe that, if we patiently take our time, our relationships improve. And that’s a second benefit.

And third, I believe intentional patience also broadens our vision. And again, that makes sense. You know, how can I really appreciate the beauty of creation, if I don’t take the time to look? And how can I really understand what motivates the folks I run across every day, if I don’t take the time to listen? And how can I ever understand the needs that surround me, and I’m talking about needs that I might have the power to address, how can I understand those needs, if I don’t take the time to feel? I’ll tell you, deciding to be patient means deciding to take the time. And you know, I believe we can see God doing this very same thing with us, and I’ll tell you, in my opinion, that was something Paul understood when he wrote this to his protégée Timothy: But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life. [1 Timothy 1:16, CEV] I think patience broadens our perspectives, and that’s a third benefit.

And fourth, why is patience important for us, well, I believe it actually increases our compassion. Let’s face it, when we’re running with the rats and when we’re reacting and expecting and often resenting, showing compassion is probably not going to be high on our personal agenda. Loving one another as we’ve been loved by God, man, that’s not a bullet that we can check off when done. Compassion, real compassion, Christian compassion demands that we slow down so that we look and listen and feel. And I’ll tell you, I think Paul understood that, because this is what he wrote to the Ephesians:  Always be humble and gentle. Patiently put up with each other and love each other. [Ephesians 4:2, CEV] And in his first letter to the Corinthians, patience was the first word Paul used to describe love. He wrote, 

Love is patient and kind,

never jealous, boastful,

proud, or rude.

Love isn’t selfish

    or quick tempered.

It doesn’t keep a record

    of wrongs that others do. 

[1 Corinthians 13:4-5, CEV]

You see, I believe patience improves our decisions and strengthens our relationships. It broadens our vision and increases our compassion. And for me, that’s why it’s important.

But you know, understanding that, well, it really doesn’t mean very much if we don’t know the answer to the second question I mentioned a little while ago: how we might develop it in our own lives? You see, this is really where the rubber hits the road.

And the answer, well, I personally believe we can become more patient by intentionally doing four very simple yet profound things. For example, first, we can decide simply to pause, you know, to slow down and relax. Now having said that, I know that we all have a lot to do. And I know, we all expect certain things to happen. And I know there’s a part of us all that worries that, if it doesn’t happen now, it won’t happen at all. I understand that. But in spite of all these assumptions, we can still pause so that we can sort of declutter our minds and think with a little more clarity than we had before. In fact, when the hustle and bustle intrudes, we might want to remember what Peter wrote in his second letter: 

Dear friends, don’t forget that for the Lord one day is the same as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years is the same as one day. The Lord isn’t slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost. [2 Peter 3:8-9, CEV]

You see, to be patient, first, we really need to pause.

And second, we also need to trust, and I’m talking about putting our trust in God. You see, whether intentional or not, I think impatient people often put themselves at the center of their universe. It’s always up to them, and I’ll tell you, that probably explains why they often feel so much stress. But you know, when we decide to trust God, when we decide that we are loved by the Father and redeemed by the Son and inspired by the Spirit and when we decide that, when you get right down to it, it’s not about us, it’s about him, it always was and always is and always will be, then being patient, man, that’s a whole lot easier. It’s like James wrote, “My friends, be patient until the Lord returns. Think of farmers who wait patiently for the autumn and spring rains to make their valuable crops grow. Be patient like those farmers and don’t give up. The Lord will soon be here!” [James 5:7-8, CEV] You see, second, to be patient, we really need to trust.

And while we’re trusting, third, we might want to pray a little bit. And I’ll tell you why that’s important. Even though we may have paused and even though we may trust, without prayer, it’s still easy to feel alone. And believe me, I understand that feeling. I mean, this time last year, I was living alone for the first time in twenty years. My daughter was in Morgantown and my wife was in Weirton. And even though y’all were incredibly welcoming, there were times when I was lonely and a few times when, well, I wanted to go back home. But then Debbie would call and we’d talk. And I’d go back to Weirton on Sunday afternoon, and I’ll tell you, that made it a lot easier to be patient as I looked forward to the time when she’d be moving up here. And you know, for that same reason, I believe prayer is so important. And I think that’s why Paul gave this advice to the Romans: “Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.” [Romans 12:12, CEV] You see, I think prayer helps us be patient, and that’s the third thing we can do.

And finally, fourth, if we’re serious about how we might develop a little more patience in our own lives, I believe that we need to understand that, somewhere down the line, we’re going to have to act. I mean, the Christian life isn’t just about pausing, although that’s important. And it’s not just about trusting or praying, although those are important too. No, being a Christian is about taking action. It’s about loving God with our entire heart, soul, strength, and mind. And it’s about loving our neighbors as much as we love ourselves. And since this kind of love is active rather than emotional, obeying Jesus means we really need to do something. And it’s this understanding that actually gives our patience meaning. You see, when we pause and trust and pray, we’re actually preparing ourselves for action, because when we do that, our decisions will improve and our relationships will become stronger and our vision will broaden and our compassion will increase. It’s like the writer of the letter to the Hebrews said, “Then you would never be lazy. You would be following the example of those who had faith and were patient until God kept his promise to them.” [Hebrews 6:12, CEV] You see, when we recognize that it prepares us to act, I believe it’s a lot easier to be patient. And that’s the fourth thing we can do.

Now I don’t think our world is going to change; therefore, people will continue to face unreasonable demands and to have unrealistic expectations. In other words, I expect that folks will stay in the rat race, even though the rats are winning. But I’ll tell you, that doesn’t have to be the case with us. Instead we can decide that we really want to improve the decisions we make and strengthen the relationships we enjoy. And we want our vision to broaden and our compassion to increase. And for those reasons, we’re going to pause and trust; we’re going to pray and then act. You see, right here and now, we can claim Paul’s fourth Fruit of the Spirit and start to cultivate patience.