Divine Patience

Divine Patience

(Galatians 5:22-23)

Yearly Theme:  “Patience is…”

Series Title:  “What is patience?”

January 2^nd, 2022

Something to think about:

Wow, another year in the books. These past two years have been crazy, to say the least. I can honestly say that I could never have imagined that we would be where we all are, having gone through everything we have gone through. My family and I have been back at North Main since 2019 when the yearly theme was “Love”. It’s been amazing how each year we study a different the Fruit of the Spirit since it seems like those very fruits are getting more difficult to find and cultivate in our society. It's clearer to me how crucial these Fruits of the Spirit are and how hard we should push to seek after them.

So far we’ve done, “Love”, “Joy”, and “Peace”. This year we are kicking off a year of “Patience”. If you’re anything like me your patience has been tested over the past three years. There seems to be so much anger and fighting, and patience isn’t found or talked about much. It's why I’m excited to kick off this year and dig into what Patience is. Let’s look at our anchor verse we have been using the past few years for the fruits of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)

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!

Paul makes it clear that the deepest desire of his heart is for the Philippian church to experience the peace of God in the same way that he was currently experiencing it. At the time of this letter Paul was in prison and yet he talks about the joy and peace that he experiences through Christ. This farewell shows Paul’s heart for this church, and he offers advice on how to achieve this elevated state of peace.

Key Point: “Patience is endurance in the face of difficulty”

Notes:

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Something to take home:

I think we all struggle with patience. Honestly, I find it one of the hardest of The Fruits to cultivate in my life. I feel like I’m constantly pushing, battling, and cutting out The Fruit of Patience in my life. I hope you can join me and the rest of North Main this year as we seek out the Holy Spirit and pursue the things that delight His heart. Below are some questions to kick start your thoughts on patience.

1. Do you struggle with patience?
2. If you do, what are some actions or activities that make it hard for you personally to be patient?
3. Is patience a priority to you the same way love or joy might be?
4. Where do you see our society losing patience?
5. Why do you think this virtue has been largely pushed aside the past few years?
6. What are some goals when it comes to patience that you want to set for yourself?