The fruit of certain spirits in this world is always death. One of the fruits of the Spirit of Christ is named in Galatians 5:22, "makrothymía," a Greek word often translated into English as "patience."
People often cringe when hearing of this particular fruit of Christ's Holy Spirit, and we all have at least wondered whether we'd be better off NOT praying for patience, seeing as getting it requires waiting...and who loves THAT?!
Well, the people who know Christ do, because in the "waiting," which is a wonderful and complex reality in Christ but we'll go with the simple meaning for now--
in the waiting is the only place where certain pleasures happen in the Father, Son, Spirit, and you.
Patience is simply a key to enjoying the waiting, just as James 1 in the NIV says from verse 2: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..."
"Pure" joy? When people are trying to burn me at the STAKE?!
Precisely, YES!
And howwww??
Because you have already rested assured that the outcomes are up to your Master and Maker. As for you, you trust They are good. In your trusting that They are good, you don't need to know the end before you can delight yourself in Them every day. If you wait for a problem's resolution before taking your peace, as the scripture teaches us to do, then resolutions will be your god and they will fail you. Because you live in a broken world, there will always be messes. You cannot rely on the environment to keep you healthy and stable. Only Jesus. Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
It is the peace that passes understanding which guards your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). It is not being problemless that saves you or makes you peaceful. It is having peace in your heart that solves all the problems.
So be it. Amen.
So, why can you be joyful in the midst of a trial (difficult times)?
What fruit of the Spirit takes the sting out of waiting and turns it into fruitfulness and delight?
