“Patience is a virtue.”
You’ve probably heard that line and repeated it a thousand times. We say it often because it’s true: patience is a virtue. Patience is a quality that reflects maturity and godly behavior—an ability to endure suffering or delay gratification. Often, we think of being patient as waiting in line without complaint, not tapping our foot when our kids are slow getting ready, or staying cool when we are interrupted. Of course, those are demonstrations of patience, but perhaps, patience is more than those things.
The apostle Paul lists patience among the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.”
The fruit of patience is one we all struggle to obtain. People and circumstances test us, and we often find ourselves wishing we could manufacture growth more quickly. But doesn’t that show our impatience with growing in patience? We want patience, and we want it NOW! However, good fruit takes time to grow.
How do we grow in patience? We plant our hearts in God’s Word, and over time, with proper watering and pruning, we become more like Christ. As we abide in him, patience will sprout on the vines of our lives. Let’s look at what the Bible says about the virtue of patience…
20 Bible Verses on Patience
- Ephesians 4:2 (ESV)
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, - Psalm 37:7-9 (ESV)
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. - Ecclesiastes 7:8 (ESV)
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. - 1 Timothy 1:16 (ESV)
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. - Hebrews 10:36 (ESV)
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. - Psalm 40:1 (ESV)
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. - Psalm 27:14 (ESV)
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! - James 5:7-8 (ESV)
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. - Galatians 5:22-23 (ESV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (ESV)
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; - Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV)
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. - Colossians 1:11 (ESV)
Being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; - Hebrews 6:12 (ESV)
So that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. - Matthew 24:13 (ESV)
But the one who endures to the end will be saved. - Romans 5:3-4 (ESV)
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
- Luke 8:15 (ESV)
As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience. - Ephesians 4:2-3 (ESV)
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. - Luke 21:19 (ESV)
By your endurance you will gain your lives. - Habakkuk 2:3 (ESV)
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. - Galatians 6:9 (ESV)
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
A Christlike reaction to all that is maddening
So, how patient are you? J.I. Packer, in Knowing and Doing the Will of God, offers a good definition of patience that we can all relate to: “Patience is the Christlike reaction to all that is maddening.”
Patience is more than the ability to have a calm disposition in unpleasant circumstances, but to be more like Jesus, the very embodiment of patience. We want to be like him, and endure, suffer long, and forbear all that is maddening with increasing strength. We are unable to do this in our human strength, but by the Spirit, the perfect grower of spiritual fruit, we can become more like Jesus over time.
It’s a maddening world out there, friends. May God help us grow in patience and become more like our perfect and patient Savior.
Cara
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P.S. Do you want to bear more fruit in your Christian life? One way is to realize the riches that are yours in your union with Christ. Discover 125 Scriptures about your Union with Christ in this free download.
