When I study the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23,
these two always trip me up.
Love, peace and joy seem more attainable. Kindness,
goodness, gentleness, and faithfulness aren’t huge challenges for me.
But patience and self-control? They are constant challenges.
Do you feel that way too?
We live in a fast-paced, indulgent world. Patience and
self-control aren’t valued in the culture-at-large. The messages we hear and
the images we see promote Satisfaction. Right. Now.
Our theme verse for today indicates that power and the
ability to conquer others were highly valued then as they are now. Pride is at
the root of a desire for power, conquering, and immediately having your own way.
Scripture affirms the greater value of both patience and
self-control—two fruits we may not appreciate as much as God does. But He wants
our appreciation to grow, so we can serve and inspire others.
Consider these
additional verses:
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s
glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 NIV
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 NIV
Be patient, then,
brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the
land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring
rains. James 5:7 NIV
Rather, he must be hospitable, one who
loves what is good, who is self-controlled,
upright, holy and disciplined. Titus 1:8 NIV
For this very reason, make every effort to add to
your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to
knowledge, self-control; and to
self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 2 Peter 1:5-7 NIV
Then they can urge the younger women to love
their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and
pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so
that no one will malign the word of God. Titus 2:4-5 NIV
Scripture affirms the great value of both patience and self-control.
Click to TweetScripture affirms the great value of both patience and self-control.
Jesus was both
patient and self-controlled. If we want to become more like Jesus, we must
pursue both unappreciated fruits. We can take practical steps to grow each
fruit in the following ways:
Remember that
these two fruits are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, who bears the fruit in you.
Pray to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to use you as a vine for both fruits.
Choose one of the
above verses for Christian meditation this week. Ponder every word in the
verse, asking yourself what it tells you about God and what it tells you about
yourself.
Learn your
triggers for both impatience and a lack of self-control. When faced with
temptation in those areas, recite the verse to yourself and count to ten,
telling yourself you will choose God’s way instead of your own.
This summer, you
can develop a new appreciation for these two fruits. As you bear them in your
life, you will show Jesus to others and gain greater peace.
Have a wonderful week!
Blessings and God's peace to you,
Photo from Pexels.com
Reflection questions:
1. Which of these two
fruits is hardest for you to bear, and why?
2. What change will
you make today to start bearing more fruit for God’s glory?
I agree. These fruits do seem harder to attain. Both patience and self-control are tough for me. I recently did a study on the fruits of the spirit. During my study, God revealed that I tend to get impatient when things don't move along as quickly as I had I planned. It's in those moments that my impatience sometimes get's the best of me and my self-control seems to disappear. I'm learning that I have to pray through those situations and trust God's plan and timing rather than my own.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly, thanks for sharing your story here. I agree...getting impatient often leads to losing self-control. Great observation!
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