Patience is an attribute of love.
More than anything, I want to love my husband. I want to love him more than I did yesterday, or even more than on our special wedding day more than 22 years ago!
As we have been looking at the Fruit of the Spirit, and specifically patience, I have needed God’s Word to penetrate my heart. Here are some verses that have helped me see that, in order to love my husband more fully, I must cultivate the fruit of patience in my life. I need to be:
Patient not argumentative: Proverbs 15:18 “A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel.”
and
Proverbs 16:32 “Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.”
Patient in waiting: Psalm 37:7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
and
Romans 8:25 “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
Patient in forgiveness: 1 Timothy 1:15-16 “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
Patience in affliction: Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
Patient in trials: James 5:10-11 “Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
And above all else, patient in love: 1 Corinthians 13:4 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” [all verses above from the NIV]
Ladies, you and I must seek God and His Word to cultivate patience in our marriage. With so many distractions and lies being perpetrated by the enemy of our souls, we must trust with absolute certainty in the Lord and His Word. Patience is a characteristic [a fruit of the Spirit] that we have as daughters of the King. Allow His Spirit to do His work in you so that patience might have “her perfect work”(James 1:4 NKJV) in you and your marriage!
♥Kim
