Longsuffering

*Love*Joy*Peace*Longsuffering*Gentleness*Goodness*

*Faith*Meekness*Temperance*

This week, we are taking a look at Longsuffering. We tend to kind of breeze over this fruit, when we're rattling off the list. I hadn't really given this one a lot of thought until putting this lesson together. This is definitely a fruit that I need to increase production of! Let's read the definition: "Long and patient endurance of injury, trouble, or provocation". Look at that first word: Long. Llloooonnnnggg! That tells us that being longsuffering takes more than thirty seconds. Then it says Patient. That implies that a good attitude is also involved. Next we see Endurance. Any time we see the word endure, we know it's talking about something we're not going to like very much. No one has to "endure" eating a juicy steak, or "endure" receiving a dozen roses! Look what we're enduring: Injury, Trouble, Provocation. Not fun! Personally, I don't know of anyone who loves injury, trouble, or provocation. Well, we don't have to love it, but we do have to get to the point where we endure it, with a good attitude, for a long time. Obviously this is not a fruit that will just pop out as soon as we get saved!

Why is it important to God that we be longsuffering? Because He is! Moses said in Num. 14:18, "The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." God puts up with our junk for a long time, and forgives us if we repent; but He doesn't hold back on those that don't repent. Longsuffering is long, but it doesn't go on forever. This is what King David said about God in Psalm 86:15, "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." God's mercy and longsuffering is what gives us time to see our sin and repent of it. Thankfully, He doesn't just snuff us out immediately!

There are several places in the Bible where the Apostle Paul exhorts us to have longsuffering. In Col. 3:12, he says, "Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;" Keep in mind, our fruit is what other people see that tells them we are serving the Lord Christ. Remember when Jesus said, "By their fruit ye shall know them"? Well, it's by our fruit that people know us too. If we are part of God's elect, holy and beloved in His sight, we will be putting on these things, and one of them is longsuffering. Biting someone's head off at the slightest provocation or injury is not longsuffering. When he was writing to Timothy, Paul told him how he (Paul) was an example to his followers. "But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience," II Tim. 3:10. "Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory." II Tim. 2:10. He also said this to Timothy, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." II Tim. 2:3. In other words, Don't be a wimp! Endure!

Another reason why longsuffering is so important is found in Eph. 4:1-3, "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." As Christians, we make up the Body of Christ. Naturally, people rub each other the wrong way, and there is friction. But, if we are able to patiently endure the injuries, trouble, and provocation that we cause each other (i.e., be longsuffering with each other), we can keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. That's what keeps us stuck together in Christ, without fighting all the time.

It is the Lord's longsuffering with us that allows us to receive salvation. When we break His commandments and laws, it causes Him pain, and even provokes Him. But because He is merciful and longsuffering, He allows us to see the error of our ways and repent. Look what Paul said about this in Romans 2:4, "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" Here's what the Apostle Peter said about it in II Pet. 3:9, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us–ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Then, in verse 15, he said, "And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;" Without that longsuffering, we wouldn't even have a chance of salvation.

CHALLENGE: This week, let's really take a look at ourselves, and see how we're doing in the longsuffering department. When someone says something that hurts our feelings, do we snap at them and do them injury in return? Do we get our hiney on our shoulder and walk around with an injured attitude the rest of the day? When something troubles us, or someone provokes us (makes us mad), do we start screaming, calling names, throwing things, or expressing the desire to shoot them with a grenade launcher? Keeping our lips zipped in these situations will help with the outward showing of longsuffering, but it takes prayer to keep the inward part calm. The part where the patience kicks in. Let's ask the Lord each day, to help us have more longsuffering. It's not an easy fruit to produce, but that probably makes it even more pleasing to the Lord. Look what Paul said in Col. 1:10-11, "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;" Look at that! We want to be worthy and pleasing to the Lord, and be fruitful, and increase in the knowledge of God. He will give us strength, according to His power (think about that: God has ALL the power, and will strengthen us with it, as much as we need!) Then we can have patience and longsuffering with joyfulness! There's that joy again. God will make it so that being longsuffering is not a torture for us! Look what He did for Abraham in Heb. 6:13-15, "For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." See that? Abraham had to patiently endure (be longsuffering) first. Then, he got the promise. Let's really make an effort, with the Lord's help of course, to patiently endure those small things that come our way to cause us injury, trouble, and provocation.