Mary's Bible Study on Patience

by Mary Wilkey
(Ohio, USA)

Date of Entry: 2-12-08

About me ...
Mary Wilkey has been an avid Bible student since 1992 and has written and published a family friendly weekly ezine since 2001.

Scripture(s): Luke 21:19, Romans 8:37

My thoughts:

How many a man has thrown up his hands at a time when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success? ~ Elbert Hubbard

Were there some way to accurately tabulate the statistics on the answer to this question, I think it would be a mind boggling figure.

The reason I have come to that conclusion is plain and simple. Human beings in general have very little patience.

The Bible says, "In your patience possess ye your souls." (Luke 21:19) To me, that reads and means that if I don't develop and cultivate patience, it could cost me my soul. That being the case, it would behoove every one of us to try to improve our patience barometer.

When things don't happen immediately, people are too willing to give up. They fail to persevere and develop stick-ability.

Most people when they have problems do not look at them as being trials, but insurmountable obstacles, instead of the stepping stones they are. Problems are given to us to get below the surface of our being into the creative Mind of God, because that's where all the answers lie.

Obstacles are to get us where we want to be, instead of where we are. The Bible says we are to endure afflictions, but why? Because when we endure affliction "for a season," it is to teach us gratitude for all the blessings we have when we are without affliction. And the more we practice gratitude, the less we are afflicted.

Problems are for promotions to work perfection in us. That's why Paul wrote, "We are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:37). Instead of succumbing to defeat, we are to be victorious.

Jesus said he gave us power over all the power of the enemy, and that's what the tares of this world are all about. That is the enemy at work. In other words, don't focus on the problem, but on the solution.


Questions it brought to my mind:
The natural question that might arise from the above would be: What one thing can I do today to increase my patience level to become more like Christ?