1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us that love is patient. But what is patience? According to Oxford languages dictionary, patience is: “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.”
Accepting or tolerating delays, hardships, or pain without feeling upset or anxious is impossible without knowing that the Lord is watching over you.
According to the Greek translation of the word patience, the word means:
1 – to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart.
This definition is connected to this verse in Luke 18:7 NASBS
“now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?”
In order for one to not lose heart, remember that the Lord brings justice to those who cry out to Him day and night.
Therefore, being patient without the comfort of the Holy Spirit reminding you of Jesus’ words becomes a great challenge. We definitely don’t serve Him for what He can accomplish for us, but we do hope with patience that His promises will not fail in our lives.
One definition of patience is bearing hardship while holding out hope for a brighter tomorrow or in other words, to persevere. The Thayer Greek Dictionary defines perseverance as “being patient and brave in enduring misfortunes and troubles.”
Look at what Romans 5:3-5 NASBS say:
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; [4] and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; [5] and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
We continue because we know that perseverance develops “Proven Character,” which leads to hope that is nourished by the Holy Spirit’s assurance that God loves us, that He cares for us, that He is our Shepherd, the sole Guard over our lives.
To me, it makes sense to say that patience in troubled times can only be found in the presence of hope. And it is the Holy Spirit, not our own, that gives us true Hope in Him. God’s Spirit, the Parakletos, gives us hope, patience, and endurance that cannot be destroyed by adversity.
That’s why Paul affirms in Galatians 5:22 NASBS that:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
Patience, at least the kind of patience under suffering that fills you with Hope through the Comforter, isn’t the product of an independent and powerful heart. Patience is one of the hallmarks of true love and a divine gift from the Holy Spirit.
But that’s not all. Patience is also defined as:
“to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others.”
To demonstrate the virtue of having a forgiving heart, Jesus told the story of the King who settled accounts with his servants. Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive those who offend against him just before the parable was taught.
In the parable, Jesus depicts the King being begged by one of His servants to be patient with Him because he was struggling to pay his obligation, and the King entirely forgave his servant’s debt.
This same servant went to another individual who owed him money and imprisoned him for failing to pay his debt to him. When the king found out about it, he got extremely angry towards the servant and put him in jail himself.
Jesus was attempting to teach something extremely important here. He wanted his disciples to realize that those of us who have had all of our debts forgiven by God should be ready to forgive those who ask us to be patient in enduring their mistakes.
Patience becomes an act of mercy and forgiveness in this context. Again, no matter how many times individuals offend us and ask for our forgiveness, we must be prepared to be patient with them, knowing that our Heavenly Father forgives us for all of our transgressions.
Without the reality of the forgiveness we have received through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, having patience in terms of forgiving and being kind with other people becomes impossible. Loving others means forgiving and being gracious to them despite their flaws, which is what we mean when we talk about patience.
But that’s not all. Being patient is also defined as:
“to be mild and slow in avenging.”
And “to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish.”
2 PETER 3:9 AMP say:
The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
To be patient is to put the love that we receive from God into practice by:
- Trusting Him for better days when facing difficulties, knowing that He is faithful to come through for us. Don’t lose heart because will not God bring about justice for their elect who cry to Him day and night? Luke 18:7
- To be patient is also to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles. To be patient in tribulations builds perseverance, perseverance forges a proven character, and a proven character grows in hope as the love of God is poured in our hearts through His Spirit. (Romans 5:3-5)
- Patience is also a fruit of the Spirit, which shows us the very importance of God’s help in our lives so that we can grow in patience. (Gal 5:22)
- Patience is a powerful example of love for God because it perseveres in the desert with the assurance that God is with and for you. – Patience is also a powerful example of love for others because it is merciful, forgiving, and compassionate at its core. (1 Cor 13:4)
- To be patient is also defined as bearing the offenses and injuries of others. To exercise patience is to show grace and exercise forgiveness toward people, especially when they offend us. Matthew 6:12 TPT – Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we ourselves release forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
- The Lord… is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. God Himself doesn’t use our sin to condemn us, but He is constantly calling us back to being close to Him. He wants us to repent, to be transformed and to confess our sins.
1 John 1:9 AMP
If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises] and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteousness [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].
Remember: Love is patient, and patience gives character to love.
Leave a comment