#Devotion Fruit of the Spirit Long-Suffering We live in a technological world and everyday new and improved equipment is being unveiled to make life easier and to gratify our desires faster. Unlike back when I was in high school, you can communicate with anyone almost anywhere in the world instantly. You can send money to someone miles away and within the minute it is there unlike some years back when the quickest way to send money was by a telegraphic money order. We can watch live events on our TV screens though they are happening half way around the world. With all this around us, we expect God to respond to all our desires instantly and when He does not, then we begin lamenting. Even many of the sermons that we hear today tend to suggest that God will and He should come through instantly and as a child of God then we should not undergo any trial. If we do, then either we don’t have faith or we must be living in sin. We have been looking at the fruit of the Spirit and today we look at long-suffering. Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Notice it says long suffering, it is one thing to suffer, but long suffering is taking it to another level. Long suffering is bearing with the offences and provocation of others without fighting back. It is bearing and going through all the troubles and difficulties of life without murmuring and submitting cheerfully to every dispensation of Gods providence. Now if we were to be honest with ourselves that is something that is lacking in many of us today. Any time we go through a season of difficulty, we whine and complain and we begin doubting the love of God for us. We are so used to instant tea and coffee, microwaves, instant money transfer and all manner of instant things that we expect the things of God to work in the same manner. The interesting thing is this, when we are dealing with others we are so impatient and we don’t want anyone to tell us about long-suffering. On the other hand when we are the ones who need mercy, we expect others to be very patient with us Think about Job of old and how he had to go through hardship but he was long-suffering and he endured till the end without complaining. Abraham waited for the promised son until he was 100 years patiently without complaining. What about Saul later know as Paul? He wrote a good portion of the New Testament though he went through prison, shipwrecks, flogging and many other difficulties without complaining. Jesus whom we are all striving to emulate, did he not undergo suffering and shame without complaining? Did He not say not my will but your will be done? That is the example that has been set before us. For the Holy Spirit to give us the fruit of long-suffering, it means we shall have to bear one with another and we will go though hardships in our lives. In your troubles and hardships, don’t complain, don’t doubt God, be patient and pray that the fruit of long-suffering be developed in your life. PRACTICAL PLICATION When difficult people and trouble comes your way, do not react and demand microwave solutions, allow long suffering to be developed in you.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 04:02:40 +0000
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