“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV)
“But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.” (Psalm 86:15 NKJV)
“Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,” (Exodus 34:5-6 NKJV)
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV)
The best scriptural illustration of the fruit of long suffering is 2 Peter 3:9. It hurts our Heavenly Father immensely to see His children suffer under the devastation brought into this world through sin and Satan. He longs to send His Son back to this Earth, deal with Satan once and for all, and bring an end to all suffering and pain. However, as much as His love for His children compels Him to take action, His love for all of the Human Race constrains Him. He desires that not even one person miss the opportunity to join His family.
As a father of 4 children, and now 6 grandchildren, it tears my heart out to see any of them in pain. Now that my kids are adults there are many times when I would love to rush in and resolve their problems and remove their pains, but I can’t. Not only would it not be the best thing for them long term, they don’t want me to do it. A parent has to be willing to suffer from a distance, sometimes for long periods of time, patiently waiting for those they love to resolve their own issues.
The Amplified Bible translates long suffering as “extraordinary patience.” Now that is a fruit worth eating! When I find myself in a situation that requires “extraordinary patience” I turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to flood my life with the fruit of long suffering. He gives me the ability to endure the pain of waiting for the needed resolution to whatever I am going through.
Praise the Lord for…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 45: “I am a Fruit Grower in the Kingdom of Heaven (quality fruit to give away).” Part 5: Longsuffering