Word of the Month: Patience

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By Linda Felkar

How can we be excited about the future and do it with enthusiasm during challenging times like this year long pandemic?  With help from the Holy Spirit. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that equips us for difficult times.

God wants us to praise Him at all times.  Not just when things are going our way, but also when challenges arrive in our lives, remember to be peaceful, enjoy the journey, have faith, and learn patience because Jesus is with us always. He will bring us through to the other side.

Frustrating as it is, we need to learn patience when asking God for help.  When we say “quick” God seems to say, slow”, when we say “now” God seems to say “later”.  When we pray for patience, we often experience challenges that give us opportunity to develop patience.  We may not like it, but God has something good in mind.  He is answering our prayers and we just don’t know it.

A few examples in scripture are when God called on Abraham and promised him a whole nation of children.  He had to wait 25 years for one son to be born.  David had to live as a fugitive in the desert for ten years while Saul chased him.  He did all this before becoming King of Israel.

Learning to wait patiently on God is worth it.  The benefits include the ability to influence others in godliness, God’s blessings, knowledge of scripture, a growing patience with and forgiveness of others and a certain hope to sustain us even in the darkest times.  The path to God’s promises is paved with patience. Have patience and trust in God’s promises. His Word will never fail.

DEFINITION
The meaning of patience from the New Expanded Webster’s Dictionary is the quality of being patient, endurance, composure, forbearance, and persevering.

SCRIPTURE
Psalm 33:22, Revelation 22:12, Psalm 27:14,19:14, 34:3, Deut. 31:6, Heb:6:11:12:28, Proverbs23:23,15:18, James 5:8-9, 1John 4:7,16:33, 2Corinthians 12:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:14

PUTTING IT TO WORK
Read the scripture readings.  How is patience important in our lives? 

Make a meal for a shut-in, help out a neighbor, call or write an encouraging note to a friend, start sowing seeds.  Read to someone recuperating from surgery/elderly.  Visit a nursing home when it is safe.

What are your thoughts and insights on our word of the month? Here is a link to share: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12SuoRad-ddeFOjmQOK2-5YYPdPkL4Vpn