Wednesday, September 18, 2024
I’ve always been told you should not pray for patience, because if you do, God will give you plenty of opportunities to practice. However, as I have grown, I’ve begun to see that praying for the chance to practice patience is exactly what I should be doing.
When you want to do something well, you develop a plan on how to improve that skill. However, we seem to think that habits like patience, kindness, and self-control should come automatically. This is faulty reasoning. We need repeated opportunities to practice these habits to help us become the kind of people Jesus wants us to be. Arguably, these “opportunities” often look like periods of stress.
When writing to the church in Galatia, Paul describes the attitudes most of us are seeking to embody. We all want to be more loving, joyful, kind, and self-controlled people. But this will not happen automatically. It takes repeated practice in situations where we have to exercise our spiritual muscles and choose to react in accordance with the Spirit instead of the flesh.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
When we look at this passage, the first thing we see is that we don’t produce this fruit; rather, it’s the Holy Spirit working in us. He develops this fruit in our lives through time and effort. There will be situations during which we have to choose to be patient instead of impatient ... choose joy over despair. Exercising self control in small situations will help us to do the same in larger situations. Becoming a gentle person comes from repeatedly dealing with difficult people in a kind and gentle manner.
It’s these times of stress that help us become more like Jesus. The fruit of the Holy Spirit working in our lives will be hard won in some cases, but they will be well worth it.
The next time you wonder why God has placed another trial in your life, remember it is through these difficult situations that you are becoming refined and fruitful. He is forming you to look more like him, and that should be the goal of every Christian.
Questions:
Have you ever thought of stressful situations as a time for developing spiritual muscle? Does the thought of praying for difficult situations seem absurd to you?
Can you think of times when God might have tested your patience? How did you respond?
Next Steps:
Think about a situation in your life that is causing you stress right now. Write down the different spiritual fruits that God may be trying to develop in you through that difficult situation.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for continually working in my life to make me more like you. Thank you for continuing to refine me and develop good spiritual fruit in my life. Help me see the difficult situations that I encounter as opportunities to grow instead of situations to avoid. Continue to make me more like you. Amen.
Series Theme Verse:
Ephesians 3:16-17
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
This post was written by Julie Mabus, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.