Do you ever just have one of those days when God reminds you, “Be patient.”?
I’m having one of those days. So I decided to look up the word “Patient” in the New King James Bible and see what I came up with. 7 verses.
Verse #1:
Ecc 7:8 NKJV - The end of a thing [is] better than its beginning; The patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit.
In the middle of words of wisdom, there is this saying. So much of this verse intrigues me. The first part, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning”, has so much to do with the end – being patient in spirit. The first thing that I think of is the return of Jesus, the end of days. That glorious day when Justice takes His place on the earth. The end is better than the beginning… like every good fairy tale. But it’s no fairy tale. It’s reality. We must be patient in spirit and here’s the very reason why. The end is better than the beginning!! What a glorious thought!
Do you know why the patient in spirit is contrasted with the proud in spirit? Because pride does not want to look foolish in the waiting. Waiting implies you are not an important enough person that you can make something happen the instant you desire it. Waiting implies you are dependent on something or someone else for a result. Give into weakness! Give into your dependence on Jesus. Be patient in the waiting because the end is better than the beginning. Say no to pride and say yes to patience.
Verse #2:
Rom 2:7 NKJV - eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
The verses leading up to this verse describe the issue of judgment and repentance. Paul explains to the Roman church that according to the hardness of our hearts, we are treasuring up wrath from God and revelation of the judgments of God. This God who will “render to each one according to his deeds.” Then Paul gives the two results… The first result is our verse #2 -- Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor and immortality. Romans 2:8 explains to us the alternative – for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, they will receive indignation, wrath, tribulation and anguish.
Patience is essential to receiving eternal life. The only way to continue in doing good, in not growing weary in well doing, is to be patient. Many have said, Christianity is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You have to finish the race! It’s patient continuance in doing good. Jesus was the epitome of this. He patiently continued in doing good. Even in the face of death. He knew He had to be an example for us of how we should live. Faith without works is dead. These two must be married. No one is righteous outside of their faith in Jesus, but our obedience demonstrates our love for Him.
Verse #3:
Rom 12:12 NKJV - rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
This awesome passage lays out what our response to life as a Christian should be. I love how these three go so well together. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. It is impossible to rejoice in hope if you are not patient in tribulation. And it is impossible to be patient in tribulation if you are not continuing steadfastly in prayer. Rejoice, Patient, Continue Steadfastly. Hope, Tribulation, Prayer. If you continue steadfastly, you will be patient and be able to rejoice. If you stay in prayer, you will be able to persevere Be patient in tribulation! Know that your tribulation is not your forever! You are passing through. This present suffering is nothing to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us!
Verse #4:
1Th 5:14 NKJV - Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
Wow. In a chapter that pushes us towards looking for the return of the Lord, we are encouraged by Paul to warn the unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, and be patient with all! In the pressure cooker that life can be… in the incredible pressure cooker that the end times will be, we have these instructions. Warn the unruly. Time is short. Warn them of the importance of the day we are living in and the importance of living holy. Comfort the fainthearted! It will be hard and difficult. Encourage one another to keep going. Uphold the weak. When one is weak, be there so they can lean upon you. Walk beside them. Be patient with all. In this pressure cooker, where emotions can run high, and where our family, our community, our Christian brothers and sisters will be persecuted, Be Patient! Bring your brothers and sisters alongside you. Be patient. Love suffers long. LOVE suffers long. God is so patient with us. If we truly want to be like Him, we must be patient with one another.
Verse #5:
2Ti 2:24 NKJV - And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient
Paul exhorted Timothy. He lists many things that a servant of the Lord must do, must be. Do not quarrel. Be gentle to all. Be able to teach. Be patient. A Christian who is not able to suffer long with people, with situations, with himself, and with God, is a frustrated Christian indeed. This is one of the many fruit of the Spirit that separates us from those in the world. Be patient! When the world is screaming in your face and injustice seems to be reigning, be patient! When Christians who are weak in their faith seem to just not be able to get it right, be patient! Be patient with your family. Be patient with your friends, and be patient with all you come in contact with. Be cautious of what comes out of your mouth in those situations. If you do not have patience, you will probably do or say something you will regret. Patience is essential.
Verses #6 & 7:
Jam 5:7 NKJV - Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
Jam 5:8 NKJV - You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
We are instructed to take the patience of the saints, yes, even the patience of Job, as examples to the end times saints. Be patient until the coming of the Lord. Why? Because it is difficult to wait so long for something you cannot see. A farmer waits for his fruit. He plants, he waters, he fertilizes, and he waits. Waits… and waits… and waits. He prays for rain to water that fruit. He may not see anything for a period of time, and then all the sudden, it begins to spring up from the ground. Then, it grows larger. And finally it will be ready, harvest time. We must be patient for the coming of the Lord. We must earnestly wait and look to Him. We must establish our hearts so that we do not grow weary. We must firmly plant our feet in the waiting, and watch for His return.
I like the fact that the first and last verses that say “patient” have to do with the end. After all, patience, is to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles, and to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others.
The end is better than the beginning. For Justice will come. The Keeper of Justice will come with fire in His eyes and will make every wrong thing right. We must endure to the end and we will be saved.
Be patient.
I’m having one of those days. So I decided to look up the word “Patient” in the New King James Bible and see what I came up with. 7 verses.
Verse #1:
Ecc 7:8 NKJV - The end of a thing [is] better than its beginning; The patient in spirit [is] better than the proud in spirit.
In the middle of words of wisdom, there is this saying. So much of this verse intrigues me. The first part, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning”, has so much to do with the end – being patient in spirit. The first thing that I think of is the return of Jesus, the end of days. That glorious day when Justice takes His place on the earth. The end is better than the beginning… like every good fairy tale. But it’s no fairy tale. It’s reality. We must be patient in spirit and here’s the very reason why. The end is better than the beginning!! What a glorious thought!
Do you know why the patient in spirit is contrasted with the proud in spirit? Because pride does not want to look foolish in the waiting. Waiting implies you are not an important enough person that you can make something happen the instant you desire it. Waiting implies you are dependent on something or someone else for a result. Give into weakness! Give into your dependence on Jesus. Be patient in the waiting because the end is better than the beginning. Say no to pride and say yes to patience.
Verse #2:
Rom 2:7 NKJV - eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
The verses leading up to this verse describe the issue of judgment and repentance. Paul explains to the Roman church that according to the hardness of our hearts, we are treasuring up wrath from God and revelation of the judgments of God. This God who will “render to each one according to his deeds.” Then Paul gives the two results… The first result is our verse #2 -- Eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor and immortality. Romans 2:8 explains to us the alternative – for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, they will receive indignation, wrath, tribulation and anguish.
Patience is essential to receiving eternal life. The only way to continue in doing good, in not growing weary in well doing, is to be patient. Many have said, Christianity is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You have to finish the race! It’s patient continuance in doing good. Jesus was the epitome of this. He patiently continued in doing good. Even in the face of death. He knew He had to be an example for us of how we should live. Faith without works is dead. These two must be married. No one is righteous outside of their faith in Jesus, but our obedience demonstrates our love for Him.
Verse #3:
Rom 12:12 NKJV - rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;
This awesome passage lays out what our response to life as a Christian should be. I love how these three go so well together. Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. It is impossible to rejoice in hope if you are not patient in tribulation. And it is impossible to be patient in tribulation if you are not continuing steadfastly in prayer. Rejoice, Patient, Continue Steadfastly. Hope, Tribulation, Prayer. If you continue steadfastly, you will be patient and be able to rejoice. If you stay in prayer, you will be able to persevere Be patient in tribulation! Know that your tribulation is not your forever! You are passing through. This present suffering is nothing to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us!
Verse #4:
1Th 5:14 NKJV - Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.
Wow. In a chapter that pushes us towards looking for the return of the Lord, we are encouraged by Paul to warn the unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, and be patient with all! In the pressure cooker that life can be… in the incredible pressure cooker that the end times will be, we have these instructions. Warn the unruly. Time is short. Warn them of the importance of the day we are living in and the importance of living holy. Comfort the fainthearted! It will be hard and difficult. Encourage one another to keep going. Uphold the weak. When one is weak, be there so they can lean upon you. Walk beside them. Be patient with all. In this pressure cooker, where emotions can run high, and where our family, our community, our Christian brothers and sisters will be persecuted, Be Patient! Bring your brothers and sisters alongside you. Be patient. Love suffers long. LOVE suffers long. God is so patient with us. If we truly want to be like Him, we must be patient with one another.
Verse #5:
2Ti 2:24 NKJV - And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient
Paul exhorted Timothy. He lists many things that a servant of the Lord must do, must be. Do not quarrel. Be gentle to all. Be able to teach. Be patient. A Christian who is not able to suffer long with people, with situations, with himself, and with God, is a frustrated Christian indeed. This is one of the many fruit of the Spirit that separates us from those in the world. Be patient! When the world is screaming in your face and injustice seems to be reigning, be patient! When Christians who are weak in their faith seem to just not be able to get it right, be patient! Be patient with your family. Be patient with your friends, and be patient with all you come in contact with. Be cautious of what comes out of your mouth in those situations. If you do not have patience, you will probably do or say something you will regret. Patience is essential.
Verses #6 & 7:
Jam 5:7 NKJV - Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
Jam 5:8 NKJV - You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
We are instructed to take the patience of the saints, yes, even the patience of Job, as examples to the end times saints. Be patient until the coming of the Lord. Why? Because it is difficult to wait so long for something you cannot see. A farmer waits for his fruit. He plants, he waters, he fertilizes, and he waits. Waits… and waits… and waits. He prays for rain to water that fruit. He may not see anything for a period of time, and then all the sudden, it begins to spring up from the ground. Then, it grows larger. And finally it will be ready, harvest time. We must be patient for the coming of the Lord. We must earnestly wait and look to Him. We must establish our hearts so that we do not grow weary. We must firmly plant our feet in the waiting, and watch for His return.
I like the fact that the first and last verses that say “patient” have to do with the end. After all, patience, is to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles, and to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others.
The end is better than the beginning. For Justice will come. The Keeper of Justice will come with fire in His eyes and will make every wrong thing right. We must endure to the end and we will be saved.
Be patient.
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