Patience: A Fruit of the Holy Spirit

This is the third post in a series on what the Bible teaches about patience. To read the prior posts, click the respective titles below.

Patience: A Fruit of the Spirit

^“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

In Galatians 5:22, Paul lists patience as a fruit of the Holy Spirit.

As born-again children of God, the Holy Spirit took up permanent residence within us the moment we trusted Jesus as Savior. Since patience is a fruit of the Spirit, who lives in us, why then do many of us fail to consistently express patience in our daily lives?

The answer lies in the word, fruit.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit, which means that it is the result, the product, the outcome of a life that is yielded to the Holy Spirit. It is an expression or an outworking of an inward transformation in the hearts of believers who are yielded to the promptings and directions of the Holy Spirit.

From a natural standpoint, patience is difficult to develop and consistently express. However, the Holy Spirit produces this fruit in those who trust and are yielded to God.

Multiple Scriptures teach us to put off our former mindsets and behaviors (the flesh) and to put on Christ (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10; Romans 13:14).

(If you are unfamiliar with the term “flesh,” it is used in the New Testament to refer to our natural selfish tendencies and behaviors that oppose the Spirit and the Word of God.)

In our children’s church some weeks ago, our children’s director taught the kids about the difference between yielding to the flesh versus the Spirit using three hypothetical characters.

Three Hypothetical Characters

Dead Darrin, who is not a believer, does not have the Holy Spirit and puts himself on the throne of his life.
Fleshly Frank, who, although he is a believer and has the Holy Spirit living in Him, ignores the promptings of the Holy Spirit and yields consistently to his flesh. He places himself on the throne of his life and does not bear spiritual fruit.
Spiritual Sam, a believer who consistently hears, believes, and obeys the Word and the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is on the throne of his life, and he bears spiritual fruit.

While Dead Darrin and Fleshly Frank live on their own terms, Spiritual Sam abides in Christ and bears the fruit of the Spirit.

So, if we will bear the fruit of patience in our lives consistently, we must learn to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit by abiding in Christ through prayer and the Word so we can discern the voice of God, trust His timing, and OBEY Him.

Expressing The Fruit of Patience in Our Lives

^“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

On close examination of the fruit of the Spirit, we see that they are intricately connected.

A patient person will also exhibit other fruit of the Spirit. We tend to lose patience when our self-control is weak.

According to 1 Corinthians 13:4, patience is an attribute of love. This means that we cannot fully walk in love without learning to be patient with others. Impatience and love do not mix.

It is unkind to lose our patience with others. Acting impatiently is a sign of a lack of humility and gentleness, and if we keep at it, we will ultimately lose our peace and joy.

In Ephesians 4:1-2, Paul appeals to the Ephesian Christians to express behavior and conduct that exemplifies their calling as children of God. He then goes on to list patience as one of the character traits they should display.

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:1-2

Paul makes a similar appeal to his readers in Colossians 3:12.

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.”

Clothing Ourselves with Patience

Clothing ourselves with patience means we consciously submit to the prompts of the Holy Spirit and decide to act patiently, even when we do not feel like doing so. Just as we physically dress ourselves up in nice-looking clothes, we should, more importantly, consciously dress our hearts with the attributes of Christ by yielding to the Holy Spirit.

Of course, being patient with people who love us is much easier, especially when everything goes our way. But the Word instructs us to be patient with everyone and patiently endure evil (2 Timothy 2:24-25 ESV;1 Thessalonians 5:14). And, everyone includes those who get on our nerves, do not like us, and may even be rude to us.

Personally, some of the things that tempt me to lose my patience can be quite trivial. I do not enjoy being kept on hold for customer service. Or what about those long lines in the grocery store? Or teaching someone a task repeatedly? When I face these situations and others, I must be careful to pause and remember that I am equipped by the Holy Spirit to act in love and patience.

In emotionally charged situations, it is wise to recall that patience is an expression of strength. It is better to be a patient person than a warrior without self-control (Proverbs 16:32).

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.” Proverbs 15:18

Jesus is our perfect example. Because of His love for us, He demonstrated the ultimate level of patient endurance by sacrificing His life for us on the cross. We fix our eyes on Him and trust Him for the strength and wisdom to respond patiently to the people in our world.

Reflect

Who do you need to be patient with?
What situations tempt you to lose your patience?
Have you experienced the ripple effect losing your patience can have on your life?
What practical things can you do to show patience towards others?

Here are a few suggestions.

Desire and pursue patience through prayer
Stay in the Word consistently
Listen actively and respond humbly. You must not have the last word
Practice forgiveness
Be encouraging
Set realistic expectations

Prayer

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.” Romans 15:5

Footnotes

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.

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