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Meekness and Patience

We’re continuing through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In my last post, I started looking at his description of a life lived worthy of your calling. The first earmark was humble-mindedness.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

Ephesians 4:1-2 NIV

The next word Paul uses is translated as gentle in this passage. In other translations, the word, meek is used. That’s a word we shy away from. I’ve heard many say that “meekness is weakness.”

Actually, that’s the furthest away from the Biblical definition. You absolutely cannot be weak and have meekness.

Here’s the best way to describe meekness. It’s my power and authority submitted to the Lordship of Christ. You can’t be weak to accomplish this.

But, just as with a humble mind, meekness has a lot to do with how we work with others. This is especially true when dealing with believers who aren’t as mature as you are.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

Galatians 6:1 NIV

When teaching and correcting others, we should never act in arrogance or “holier than thou”. It’s not about proving how further along we are. We’re looking for restoration.

This also holds true when dealing with people who disagree with what we teach.

Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth…

2 Timothy 2:25 NIV

Too often we get caught up in the correctness of our doctrine. We have to always remember that we teach spiritual truths. If we’re right, then the Holy Spirit is well able to show the other person the truth. I don’t have to force the issue.

It’s not about using my power and authority, but giving the Spirit room to operate.

The next thing Paul deals with is patience. This is not referring to the ability to wait your turn in line without complaining. The apostle literally says, be patient putting up with each other.

It doesn’t take long to realize that in the body of Christ I have many opportunities to put up with other people. Yes, and there are even times that people need to put up with me!

Patience has a lot to do with how you look at others. Christ is the best example of this.

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:16 NIV

We have to realize that how people look right now is not their final condition. I’m not the same person I was 10 years ago. (Praise God!)

The Lord Jesus looked at Paul and didn’t see the murderer, destroying His church. Christ saw the apostle that Paul could become one day. He was patient to wait for the work of the Holy Spirit to bring it all about.

We need to have that same patience. We need to see the potential in others. Then, as we pray for them, we need to be patient as God works in their lives. This is how the kingdom of God grows and matures.

Meekness and patience are two qualities that are needed for us to function as a single body. We must show Christ to the world. Allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate these into your daily walk.

Question: How have others demonstrated these qualities toward you?

The Spirit-Fruit: Patience

16 Oct

The next stop in our study of the Fruit of the Spirit is patience. As with the other fruit, I need to explain how God looks at this characteristic. Contrary to what society thinks, it’s not merely the ability to stand in a long check-out line without complaining.

I think that part of the reason we have a mistaken view of patience is that the KJV translated the word as long-suffering. We get the idea, from that word, that patience requires us to suffer for a long time. I’ve got good news for you. There’s no suffering involved in the original Greek word.

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Hebrews 6:12

The actual Greek word in Scripture is a compound word. It means long passioned. According to this verse, faith and patience go hand in hand. There’s a reason for that.

When we hear from the Lord and His Word, faith is birthed in us. We then start to pursue what we’re trusting God for. Then something happens. Day follows day, and week follows week.

As time goes on we sometimes lose sight of God’s promise. That’s when we need patience – the long passioned work of the spirit. I have to have the same passion about what I heard from God weeks, or even years after I initially heard it.

That’s what the fruit of patience is all about. I like the way James described it in his book.

Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.
James 5:7

James uses the example of a farmer waiting for his crops to appear. He’s not just waiting in line for his turn at life.

He prepared the ground and planted the seed. He continued to work by weeding and fertilizing the field. He did all that was required of him, and now he’s patiently waiting for God’s part to be accomplished.

That’s the key to understanding God’s view of patience. The fruit of patience must always be based upon God’s Word. There’s an outcome that I’m trusting God for. So I want the Holy Spirit to cultivate a passion in me that won’t fade away over time.

This is the kind of patience that’s a part of God’s character. We can see this through Paul’s testimony of how the Lord worked in his life – bringing him to a knowledge of Christ.

The fruit of patience in us is a manifestation of God’s patience at work. Christ didn’t just wait idly for Paul to become a Christian. The Lord saw the outcome before it was ever manifested.

That’s the patience I want the Holy Spirit to grow in my life. I want to see the outcome of my faith with the eyes of my spirit. Then it will produce a passion that doesn’t fade away over time.

Spend time in the spirit. Allow Him to work His patience in you. Then you can be long-passioned toward your destiny in Christ.

Question: What was a recent time that you saw God’s patience operating through you?

Leaders Care

07 Jul

I’m posting about First Thessalonians, one of the foundational writings of the New Testament. At the end of the letter, Paul is giving some final principles that will help their growth.

And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
1 Thessalonians 5:14

It’s obvious that Paul is talking to the church leadership in this section. The word, warn, in this verse is the same word admonish, that was used in the previous verse. (I talked about it in my last post.)

These are things that true leaders should be watchful over. The problem is that in our generation, so many people don’t want their leaders to be looking out for them. We want to live however we choose with no accountability for our choices.

Then, if a leader truly cares about us, and warns us of the dangers of our lifestyle, we get upset and leave the church. If God’s people are going to become a great spiritual force, then we need to listen to the exhortation of our leaders.

The first thing Paul says that a leader must do is to warn the idle. This literally means to warn those who are out of order or unruly.

We know that the Lord we serve is a God of order. The church, as well as our private lives, needs to be arranged according to His plan. When we start deviating from His order, then we need to be warned of the trouble we’re getting ourselves into.

The next thing Paul tells us is to encourage the timid. This is actually a very important part of being a leader. The phrase literally means to relate near to the weak-souled. The Greek word for relating near to someone implies telling your story to them.

A lot of times those who are weak in the faith think that those in leadership were born into it. They don’t know the struggles, challenges, failures, or insecurities of those who lead. When we share our stories with them, they begin to see what God can do through anyone who’s willing to follow the leading of the Spirit.

Another part of leadership is to help the weak. This means to stand next to, and hold up the unestablished. There are those in the body of Christ who haven’t put their roots down deep yet. We need to be there to help those people to stand strong.

In a garden, there are times when you have to tie a young plant to a pole, to keep it stable, until its roots are deep enough to sustain it. It’s the same with God’s people. Many need the support and encouragement of a stable believer until they can stand firm on their own. Too often we’re guilty of letting young believers fall away because we assume they know how to live for Christ right from the start.

The final part of leadership is to be patient with everyone. Now that’s the tough one. I’ve heard people say that they’re praying for patience. That’s actually not the best way to become patient.

The reason for this is because patience is not a commodity you can receive; it’s a choice you have to make. Patience is a choice to be willing to wait for God’s perfect timing in a matter. It involves seeing things from God’s perspective and knowing that the final chapter of someone’s life hasn’t been written yet.

These are all important goals in the ministry of church leadership. We, as leaders in the body of Christ, need to realize the truth that the Lord is looking for these qualities in us. We aren’t judged on their response, only on our willingness to care for and encourage those under us.

Question: What growth have you seen in the lives of people who you’ve encouraged?

The Spirit and the Word

Tag Archives: patient

Meekness and Patience

The Spirit-Fruit: Patience

Leaders Care

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