Oh my goodness, we come to one of the Fruit of the Spirit that I am sure we have to deal with on a daily basis. I can be patient, up to a point. I find that when I am in a hurry to get somewhere, it takes the longest time, there are more delays, and I run into the slowest people on earth. Sound familiar. Driving can be extremely frustrating when you want to get somewhere in a hurry and you encounter every red light, slow drivers and traffic jams. I have found when I want to get out of the grocery store in a hurry, I get into the express checkout lane with only one person in live ahead of me and it is usually a woman searching her purse for a penny, or the cashier is brand new and slow.
I am the only one who experiences any of these?
Let’s dig into the Fruit of Patience and find out more about it.
I have heard someone give a definition of Patience as “being consistently consistent.”
What do think that means?
The Greek word for Patience is “makrothumia. It comes from “markros” which means long, distant, far off, large and “thumos” which means temper, passion, emotion or “thumoomai”, to be furious or burn with intense anger, which is literally “long-tempered” as opposed to “short –tempered.
It is a long holding out of the mind before it gives room to action or passion. It describes a stato of emotional calm or quietness in the face of provocation, misfortune or unfavorable circumstances.
Now that we know what it means, let take a look at what others have to say about “patience”:
J VERNON MCGEE writes that patience means “long burning”, it burns a long time. We shouldn’t have a short fuse with our friends and Christian brothers. We shouldn’t make snap judgments.
EVANS writes that patience could be translated “large emotions,” signifying wells of endurance that will not dry up, no matter how much is drawn from them. The Christian with this patience will have refreshing water to sustain continual effectiveness even in the face of unrelenting pressures. Those with such patience and faith are those who receive or “inherit the promises.
JOHN CALVIN said patience refers to that quality of mind that disposes us “to take everything in good part and not to be eaisly offended.
LARRY RICHARDS writes that The New Testament contains many exhortations to be patient. But just what is patience? The Greek word group “makrothumeo/makrthumia” focuses our attention on restraint that capacity for self-control despite circumstances that might arouse the passions or cause agitations. This not so much a trait as a way of life. We keep on loving or forgiving despite provocation, as illustrated in Jesus’ pointed stories in Matthew 18’
C NORMAN BARLETT rightly says that:
IRRIGATONS OF GRACE THAT WASHES AWAY THE IRRITATIONS OF LIFE!
There are men and women who masticate their dislikes thoroughly, make all day suckers of their wrongs, and magnify every little pin prick into a sword thrust. The temperament manifested in such conduct and attitudes is far removed from the longsuffering included in this cluster of spiritual graces so highly commended in Scripture. Irrigations of grace wash away the irritations of life as of negligible consequence. In passing, we might observe that there is not infrequently a vital connection between the enduring of injuries from the world and the bestowing of benefits on the world, like destructive floods disclosing to view rich veins of gold.
WILLIAM BARCLAY has a lengthy discussion explaining that patience, as the Greeks used it, usually meant patient with people. It is the ability not to lose patience when people are foolish, not to grow irritable when they seem unteachable. It is the ability to accept the folly, the perversity, the blindness, the ingratitude of men and still to remain gracious, and still to toil on.
This word “makrothumia” has two main directions of meaning.
It describes the spirit which will never give in and which, because it endures to the end, will reap the reward. Its meaning can best be seen from the fact that a Jewish writer used it to describe what he called “the Roman persistency which would never make peace under defeat.” In their great days the Romans were unconquerable; they might lose a battle; they might lose a campaign, but they could not conceive of losing a war. In the greatest disaster it never occurred to them to admit defeat. Christian patience is the spirit which never admits defeat, which will not be broken by any misfortune or suffering, by any disappointment or discouragement, but which persists to the end.
But “makrothumia” has an even more characteristic meaning than that. It is the characteristic Greek word for patience with men. Chrysostom defined it as the spirit which has the power to take revenge but never does so. Lightfoot defined it as the spirit which refuses to retaliate. To take a very imperfect analogy, it is of the possible to see a puppy and a very large dog together. The puppy yaps at the big dog, worries him, bites him, and all the time the big dog, who could annihilate the puppy with snap of his teeth, bears the puppy’s impertinence with a forbearing dignity. “Markrothumia” is the spirit which bears insult and injury without bitterness and without complaint. It is the spirit which can suffer unpleasant people with graciousness and fools without irritation.
The most illuminating thing about it is that it is commonly used in the New Testament of the attitude of God towards men. If God had been a man, He would have wiped out this world long ago; but He has that patience which bears with all our sinning and will not cast us off. In our dealings with our fellow men we must reproduce this loving, forbearing, forgiving, patient attitude of God toward ourselves. Paul asks the impenitent sinner if he despises the patience of God. Paul speaks of the perfect patience of Jesus to him. Peter speaks of God’s patience waiting in the days of Noah. He says that the forbearance of our Lord is our salvation. If God had been a man, He would long since in sheer irritation have wiped the world out for its disobedience. The Christian must have the patience towards his fellow men which God has shown to him.
In another note Barclay writes that patience is the ability to bear with them even when they are wrong, even when they are cruel and insulting. It is a great word. The writer of First Maccabees says that it was by “makrothumia that the Romans became masters of the world, and by that he means the Roman persistence which could never make peace with an enemy even in defeat, a kind of conquering patience. Patience is the quality of man who may lose a battle but will never admit defeat in a campaign.
K L BOLES writes that this Greek word “markrothumia” refers to what we might call “staying power,” to endure hard events and obnoxious people. While the word was not frequently used in classical literature, it has a rich history in the Septuagint. “A man’s wisdom gives him patience” (Proverbs 19:11), with which he can calm a quarrel or persuade a ruler. More importantly, patience makes a man like God, who is “righteous and strong and long-tempered. One of the great truths about God is that He is “slow to anger,” repeated by Moses, David, Joel, Jonah, Nahum, and Jeremiah. Patience is the even temper that comes from a big heart. It is not the “grit your teeth” kind of angry endurance; it is loving tolerance in spite of people’s weakness and failure. Love is patient and so must Christians be, the same divine quality that allows God to be patient with sinners; enables the Christian to endure the exasperating behavior of others. Perhaps the best way for us to “lengthen” the fuse on our tempers is to remember how much God has had t overlook and forgive in our own lives.
T GEORGE writes that patience is the ability to put up with other people when that is not an easy thing to do. Patience in this sense, or course is preeminently a characteristic of God, who is “long suffering” with his rebellious creatures. He is the loving Lord who in the face of obstinate infidelity and repeated rejection still says of His people “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? (Hosea 11:8) Paul’s point is clear: if God has been so long-suffering with us, should we not display this same grace in our relationships with one another? This quality should characterize the life of every believer, but it has a special relevance for those who are called to teach and preach the Word of God. As Paul instructed Timothy, “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage, with great patience and careful instruction.
W E VINE writes that if forbearance denotes delay in executing judgment, long suffering denotes the particular disposition which delays it.
JOHN EADIE characterizes patience as that temperament which is the opposite of irritability, or to what we familiarly name shortness of temper, and is that patient self-possession which enables a man to bear with those who oppose him, or who in any way do him injustice. He can afford to wait till better judgment and feeling on their part prevail. In its high sense of bearing with evil, and postponing the punishment of it, it is ascribed to God.
J M BOICE tells the story of a rather pious individual once came to a preacher and asked him to pray for him that he might have patience. “I do lack patience,” he said, trying to be humble as he said it. “I wish you would pray for me.”
“I’ll pray for you right now,” the preacher replied. So he began to pray, “Lord, please send great tribulation into this brother’s life.”
The man who had asked for prayer put a hand out and touched the preacher on the arm, trying to stop his prayer. “You must not have heard me rightly,” he said. “I didn’t ask you to pray for tribulation. I asked you to pray that I might have patience.”
“Oh, I heard what you said,” the preacher answered. “But haven’t read Romans 5:3, “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience”? It means we acquire patience through the things we suffer. I pray that God would send tribulations so that you would have patience.
ALBERT BARNES has a pithy and practical comment on longsuffering, with thought overlapping with the trait of forbearance writing that the virtue here required is that which is to be manifested in our manner of receiving the provocations which we meet with from our brethren. No virtue perhaps, is more frequently demanded in our intercourse with others.
We do not go far with any fellow traveler on the journey of life before we find there is great occasion for its exercise. He has a temperament different from our own. He may be sanguine, or choleric, or melancholy, while we may be just the reverse. He has peculiarities of taste, and habits, and disposition, which differ much from ours. He has his own plans and purposes in life, and his own way and time of doing things. He may be naturally irritable, or he may have so trained that his modes of speech and conduct differ much from ours. Neighbors have occasion to remark this in their neighbors; friends in their friends; kindred in their kindred; one church member in another.
A husband and wife, such is the imperfections of human nature can find enough in each other to embitter life if they choose to magnify imperfections and to become irritated at trifles; and there is no friendship that may not be marred in this way, if we allow it.
Hence, if we would have life move on smoothly, we must learn to bear and forbear. We must indulge the friend that we love in the little peculiarities of saying and doing things. Like children, we must suffer each one to build his playhouse in his own way, and not quarrel with him because he does not think our way the best.
All usefulness, and all comfort, may be prevented by an unkind, a sour, a crabbed temper of mind, a mind that can bear with no difference of opinion or temperament. A spirit of fault finding; all unsatisfied temper; a constant irritability; little inequalities in the look, the temper, or the manner; a brow cloudy and dissatisfied, your husband or your wife cannot tell why, will more than neutralize all the good you can do, and render life anything but a blessing.
It is in such gently and quiet virtues as meekness and forbearance that the happiness and usefulness of life consist, far more than in brilliant eloquence, in splendid talent, or illustrious deeds that shall send the name to future times.
It is the bubbling spring which flows gently; the little rivulet which glides through the meadows, and which runs along day and night by the farm house, that is useful, rather than the swollen flood or the roaring cataract. Niagara excites our wonder, and we stand amazed at the power and greatness of God there, as He “pours it from His hollow hand.” But one Niagara is enough for a continent or a world; while that same world needs thousands and ten of thousands of silver fountains, and gently flowing rivulets, that shall water every farm, and every meadow, and every garden, and that shall flow on, every day and night, with their gentle and quiet beauty.
So with the acts of our lives. It is not by great deeds only, not by great sufferings only, like those of the martyrs, that good is to be done; it is by the daily and quiet virtues of life, the Christian temper, the meek forbearance, the spirit of forgiveness in the husband and wife, the father, the mother, the brother, the sister, the friend, the neighbor, that good is to be done; and in this all may be useful.
CHARLES SPURGEON exhorts us to continue to put up with others, remembering the Lord’s longsuffering with you.
I want to say this, after reading what these men wrote about patience towards others, this is not an easy thing to do.
Do I hear an Amen!
I know this from personal experience. There have been many times I would have blown up and let my frustrations and anger blast at a couple of people who have the ability to rub me the wrong way, who want to run my life, and are just plain obnoxious. However, I didn’t. I wish I could say it was easy to do, but I would be lying.
How do you get to that place where you are patient with people who irritate the sap out you?
I take my complaint to the Lord, pray for them, bless them, and I have learned to let their remarks just go over my head and ignore them. I understand the issues in their lives and I just keep praying the Lord will break through to them. I do not allow my emotions to get out of control. Read the book of Proverbs and glean the wisdom from this book. I actually understand just about the whole book of Proverbs because I have living examples. I cannot afford to allow my flesh to get any satisfaction of returning tit for tat. It’s a no win situation. I win by keeping my mouth shut and not allowing my flesh the pleasure of retaliating.
One thing I have learned about the Lord is that when He wants to do a work in you, to smooth out the rough edges in your life, He will bring irritable, obnoxious, rude, arrogant, and ugly people into your life to be the sand paper to smooth out those rough edges.
How about you? How is the Lord working patience into your life?
DAN WILSON
Ephesians 4 Teacher
ephesians4teacher@gmail.com
www.ephesians4teacher.blogspot.com
