The Fruit of the Patience: Speaking The Name of The Lord

by Daniel Burton

For a moment, stop and consider the patience of God. Having created mankind in His image and given them the purpose of being an emissary of God’s will on earth, the people quickly turned to rebellion. They had one rule and were unable to be obedient in that. Thus, mankind fell to sin and cracked the fabric of creation and reality in the process. Yet, despite this, God knew hearts of the people could be returned to Him. Thus, over thousands of years, God lead the people to the cross where Jesus would die for their sins. Even now, we rebelled against God and, in His great patience, God pursued us even though we ran from it. God extended his grace and mercy to mankind who wanted nothing to do with Him but was doomed to die from their sins without intervention. God is patient and extends that patience to us as well. As a fruit of the Spirit, a Christian carries himself in patience in the context of the world. Through our patience for the things of God and for the people of God, we proclaim the name of God, putting our faith on full display. We remain patient for the promises and patience for the people.

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

– James 5:7-11, NIV

Patient for the Promises

If we are honest, we want immediate gratification of our flesh and desires at all times. Even as we come to faith in God, this mentality can rear its head in many different forms. We hear the promises of God and think they should be immediately fulfilled (and dictate the manner we thinkGod should fulfill them). When we want fulfillment on our terms and in our times, we ignore the fruit of patience that God has seeded inside our souls. God’s promises are fulfilled on God’s time, not on ours. Our impatience is a result of wavering faith that we will not receive what has been promised unless we receive it immediately. Patience exhibits trust in God to follow through with what He has promised and faith in His omnipotent ability to do all things. Our patience declares the glory of God in the process.

As we serve a God with ceaseless ability, we do not need to be impatient when it comes to the promises of God. Instead, we have the opportunity to display patience for the promises of God. Just as the word for patience contains aspects of “long suffering,” patience displays a longevity of our waiting and declares the worth of what God is offering; they are worth waiting for. As the world sees our patience and our discipline in continuing to call on the Lord, awaiting the future glory, God is glorified. The world sees a believer who endures time and abuse for the sake of a God who is greater than all things. Patience is the product of faith through knowing that God’s promises will not return void.

Patience for the People

Our patience in the promises yet to come stem from the patience in the promises already received. Through our profession of faith, we have received the gift and glory of eternal life. Furthermore, we received this gift during times when our hearts were against God. While we consistently fall short of any standards of perfection or holiness, but the patience of God offers us both. By the grace of God we have received the undeserved gift of life. Our purpose and mission as emissaries of God in the world becomes to proclaim the name of God so that all could hear and have the opportunity to respond. God’s call extends to those around us through the long process of representing Jesus Christ to those who don’t yet know him.

Patience, as it was extended to us, should be extended to those around us. In exhibiting this patience, we proclaim the name of Jesus Christ. God chases people down and uses us to do it. We would have been doomed had God only reached out to us once and then let us be. God placed people in our lives for a reason. We continually proclaim the love of a Savior to someone who needs it through patience and constancy. Just as God chased us, we chase others, allowing ourselves to be used by God. In doing so, we proclaim the severity and the importance of the message. This message is important because of the subject of the message. The same patience God showed us extends through us to impact the surrounding culture and those that have been placed in our path. Like the prophets who spoke to the nations of lost causes and rebels to return to God and stuck with them through the process, our role is the same for the world. We proclaim the truth that the world can receive the promises we have already been given and the future promises that have already been secured.