Patience

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

 faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

 Galatians 5:22-23

Patience. What does it mean and what does the Bible have to say about it?

Definition: calm endurance without complaining; steadfastness in the face of trouble;

forbearance; the opposite of hastiness.

Calm endurance without complaining....do you ever struggle with that? I know I do!

Being patient is hard so hard because in our fallen, human nature we are selfish. We want to please ourselves over everyone else. As Christians, God had given us a new nature so we don't have to listen to our selfish desires anymore.

We who are strong ought to bear with the fallings of the weak and not to please ourselves.

Romans 15:1

Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Proverbs 16:32

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 

Colossians 1:9-14 

God wants us to be patient because HE is patient. Pray. Ask God for patience. Don't just ask for patience though; seek God and dig deeper into His Word. Fill yourself with the Lord and patience will also fill you. You cannot be content and have patience if you are not filled with the Holy Spirit.