ICS Daily Devotions
The Fruit of Patience

Prov 15:18: A wrathful man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger allays contention.

1 Cor 3:3 For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal
and behaving like mere men?

The Apostle Paul battled strives of immature babes in Corinth who were emotionally unstable. They lacked contentment. If we want to be content, we need to practice patience. Patient people experience more gratitude and better health, less depression, and reduced daily stress. The fruit of the Spirit is manifested even if hard circumstances surround us.

Rom 12:12-13: Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Paul suggests that patient people are also better friends and neighbors. They reflect kindness, encouragement and empathy. They are able to steadfastly pray for someone, even day and night, if necessary. They are more cooperative and even more forgiving. They are more effective servants in both spiritual and practical needs.

All of us need to exercise a certain degree of patience. Patience helps us to achieve our goals. If we want to go to the college and study a 5-year program, it requires certain planning and patience. We need to commit to it. If we don’t, we will be stagnate in our lives. Similarly, if we are parents raising our kids, they grow very slowly. As you know from your parental experience, both younger and older children require a lot of patience. It is so easy to get angry at times. But think of God how much He is patient with us as His children! That revelation should calm us down. Despite everything, somehow most of the parents manage to raise their children to their best ability and give them a good foundation into their lives. So sometimes life teaches us to be patient and we are forced to adjust to it. It means that there is hope for each of us! Through the process of sanctification, we can build on Christ’s foundation, work on perfection of our patience and just take it to another level.

Patience may require some training. It works slow but the progress is guaranteed. We want everything fast but we are actually made successful with slow growth. It brings stability. When you learn a new language or to play a music instrument, you need patience. Otherwise you will quit or stagnate. Some biblical verses resemble those who seek the Lord day and night to a tree planted by fresh waters and they will bring much fruit:

Psalm 1:3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose
leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a
tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its
leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.

The tree grows so slowly that you cannot notice the difference during a short period. But time will tell. Just like with the new language or playing an instrument, you may feel that you stagnate all the time, but when you are committed to the activity and look back after some time, you will see a great progression. The best thing is that it has stable and lasting results. God will make you prosper in this way. Similarly, if you are patient, read the Bible regularly and pray every day, you will notice a great spiritual progress after some time. You will bring much fruit!

Series: The Power of Patience