Biblical Patience is Spiritual Endurance

I highly recommend Beth Moore's "Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring The Fruit Of The Spirit."  I will be eventually blog the lessons He has taught me through this study which leads me to my #1 lesson.....

Patience.  If you really know me well you know I am a very impatient gal.  Like most people who live in today's culture, I want something when I want it. In fact, it makes me mad or unsettled when I do have to wait.  Our culture is soaked with impatience, every where you look and go. 

The first word in the Bible for patience is the Greek word hupomone which means 'to persevere, remain under...bearing up under....refers to that quality of character which does not allow one to surrender to or succumb under trial.' It's endurance in relation to "things or circumstances."  This patience is inspired by hope in Jesus Christ. This word for hope is elpis which means, 'the desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it." It's a positive outlook toward an expected end, look at Job (the man who lost his children, his wealth, his health, everything). Look at chapter 23 of Job and you can see two means of hope:

1) God is at work     2) Job trusted that God would refine him, transform him

Let's look at just a few more examples of this hope we can find in the Bible:

James 1:2-4  Trials test our faith and produce endurance so we are not lacking anything but are mature.
Hebrews 10:35-36  When I'm finished doing God's will on this side of Heaven I will receive what was promised from Him.

Romans 8:28 ALL things work together for the good of those who love Him.

2 Timothy 2:10 We should endure because we are elect and receive salvation in Christ

2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure we reign with Him!

It's only by God's mercy and goodness that I can say (boasting in Him, not in self-righteousness) that so far in my short life of now 28 years that I have felt this hope.  These 2 expectations of hope (God is at work and will refine me) has walked me through all of the numerous trials I've experienced so far on earth.  It is so He can be brought glory and use me any way He sees fit one day to reach out to others.  

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