Patience.htm

PATIENCE.

"…be imitators of those who through faith and patience (1) inherit the promises." (From Heb 6:12).

PATIENCE UNDER ILL-TREATMENT.
"Be patient, my brothers, until the Lord comes. The farmer looking for the precious crop his land may yield can only wait in patience, until the autumn and spring rains have fallen. You too must be patient and stouthearted, for the coming of the Lord is near. My brothers, do not blame your troubles on one another, or you will fall under Judgement; and there stands the Judge, at the door. If you want a pattern of patience under ill-treatment, take the prophets who spoke in the Name of the Lord; remember: 'We count those happy who stood firm.' You have all heard how Job stood firm, and you have seen how the Lord treated him in the end. For the Lord is full of pity and compassion." (James 5:7-11 NEB).

'The soul loses command of itself when it is impatient. Whereas, when it submits without a murmur it possesses itself in peace, and possesses God. To be impatient, is to desire what we have not, or not to desire what we have... Peace does not dwell in outward things, but within the soul. We may preserve it in the midst of the bitterest pain, if our will remains firm and submissive. Peace in this life springs from acquiescence even in disagreeable things, not in an exemption from bearing them.' (Fénelon).

PATIENCE WITH THE WEAKNESSES OF OTHERS.
"You must live at peace among yourselves. And we would urge you, brothers, to admonish the careless, encourage the faint-hearted, support the weak, and to be very patient with them all." (1 Thess 5:14 NEB).

'Endeavour to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of others, of what sort soever they be; for you yourself also have many failings which must be borne with by others.' (T. A. Kempis).

'It is far easier to feel kindly, to act kindly, toward those with whom we are seldom brought into contact, whose tempers and prejudices do not rub against ours, whose interests do not clash with ours, than to keep up an habitual, steady, self‑sacrificing love towards those whose weaknesses and faults are always forcing themselves upon us, and are stirring up our own.' (F. D. Maurice).

'Struggle diligently against your impatience, and strive to be amiable and gentle, in season and out of season, towards every one, however much they vex and annoy you, and be sure God will bless your efforts.' (F. De Sales).

"Be humble always and gentle, and patient too. Be forbearing with one another and charitable." (Eph 4:2 NEB).

"Then put on the garments that suit God's chosen people, His own, His beloved: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience." (Col 3:12 NEB).

"Love is patient…" (From 1 Cor 13:4 NEB).

PATIENCE WITH OUR CIRCUMSTANCES.
'We have need of patience with ourselves and with others... with those who love us and those who love us not; for the greatest things and for the least; against sudden inroads of trouble, and under our daily burdens... in the weariness of the body, or the wearing of the soul; in our own failure of duty, or others' failure toward us; in every-day wants, or in the aching of sickness or the decay of age; in disappointment, bereavement, losses, injuries, reproaches; in heaviness of the heart; or its sickness amid delayed hopes. In all these things, from childhood's little troubles to the martyr's sufferings, patience is the grace of God, whereby we endure evil for the love of God.' (E. B. Pusey).

'Every contradiction of our will, every little ailment, every petty disappointment, will, if we take it patiently, become a blessing. So, walking on earth, we may be in heaven; the ill tempers of others, the slights and rudenesses of the world, ill-health, the daily accidents with which God has mercifully strewn our paths, instead of ruffling or disturbing our peace, may cause His peace to be shed abroad in our hearts abundantly.' (E. B. Pusey).

"To be patient shows great understanding; quick temper is the height of folly." (Prov 14:29 NEB).

"But the harvest of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, fidelity, gentleness, and self‑control." (Gal 5:22 NEB).

(1)	PATIENCE:	To calmly endure suffering, toil, delay, or vexation, without feeling discontent; Not easily provoked; To expect with calmness; To be long-suffering. (2)
(2)	LONG-SUFFERING:	Long endurance or patience.