“Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.” (Philippians 4:5, New King James Version) Gentleness. It’s listed in Galatians 5:22-23 as one of the nine attributes of the fruit of the Spirit, but I confess it’s not one I’ve thought much about until recently. When I…
Patience does not come naturally to me. It is a learned behavior. One of my earliest memories as a child is my father quoting Luke 21:19, “Karen, ‘In your patience possess ye your souls.'” The Bible is clear; we must have patience to receive the promise. “For ye have need…
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3, New English Translation). Humans can be exasperating at times. Other people, that is, not me. I’m levelheaded, reasonable, even-tempered. Oh,…
“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1, New King James Version). How long does it take before God answers a prayer? Is there a point when we just give up asking? Even if we find prayer—and how to…
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience:” (Ephesians 5:3). During our lifetime, we will face tribulation. We don’t like it, but it does make us stronger. You may have heard the saying, “Don’t pray for patience, it brings tribulation!” In order to…
“And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti” (Esther 2:17). The Book of Esther is a small book…
“I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas A. Edison The Psalmist David learned that the secret of getting…
If you are anything like me, we tend to get impatient. I sometimes get road rage. Then there are those times that I wonder why God hasn’t answered the prayer that I prayed. If we are exercising our faith properly, patience is a natural by-product. Those two things, FAITH + PATIENCE…
“And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;” II Peter 1:6 “Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can; seldom found in woman, and never found in man.” This little verse may be funny, but not completely true. My husband was one of the most…