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Patience Required
Read Ephesians 4:1, 2. Look at the elements Paul presents for those who are to "walk worthy" of the Lord. Among them is patience. How is patience linked with the other attributes presented? That is, how do they feed into each other?
"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."
Church is a mixture of people from various backgrounds and cultures. It also includes people who are on different rungs of the maturity ladder. Patience is necessary to be able to get along where there are so many differences. It is a temptation for those who are mature to be impatient toward those less so. In spite of the fact that it took years for them to arrive at their present level of knowledge, often the mature are unwilling to give the immature the same amount of time and study to reach their level of knowledge and understanding.
What is Paul's counsel on how we are to deal with those who may be weak in faith? Rom. 14:1, 15:1.
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves."
Patience in the church is one thing. But what about patience at home? What are some of the things that make us impatient with other members of our family? How long should we pray for family members who are out of the faith? Have you ever known anyone who had to pray for a loved one for many years before the person gave his or her heart to the Lord? What are practical ways in which we can learn to cultivate patience with family members? Why is death to self so important here, too?
Also, if we can be patient at home, with those who are always "in our face," then we likely will be patient with others, as well.
Think about how patient the Lord has been with you. How does keeping that reality constantly before you help you learn to show patience with others? If the Lord treated you as you treated others, what do you think would be your fate?
Read Ephesians 4:1, 2. Look at the elements Paul presents for those who are to "walk worthy" of the Lord. Among them is patience. How is patience linked with the other attributes presented? That is, how do they feed into each other?
"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."
Church is a mixture of people from various backgrounds and cultures. It also includes people who are on different rungs of the maturity ladder. Patience is necessary to be able to get along where there are so many differences. It is a temptation for those who are mature to be impatient toward those less so. In spite of the fact that it took years for them to arrive at their present level of knowledge, often the mature are unwilling to give the immature the same amount of time and study to reach their level of knowledge and understanding.
What is Paul's counsel on how we are to deal with those who may be weak in faith? Rom. 14:1, 15:1.
"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves."
Patience in the church is one thing. But what about patience at home? What are some of the things that make us impatient with other members of our family? How long should we pray for family members who are out of the faith? Have you ever known anyone who had to pray for a loved one for many years before the person gave his or her heart to the Lord? What are practical ways in which we can learn to cultivate patience with family members? Why is death to self so important here, too?
Also, if we can be patient at home, with those who are always "in our face," then we likely will be patient with others, as well.
Think about how patient the Lord has been with you. How does keeping that reality constantly before you help you learn to show patience with others? If the Lord treated you as you treated others, what do you think would be your fate?
Betty
