“Love Is Patient”

what love is patient
 
by Dona Hake
 
 
Over the past few days we have looked at what love is not.   Today we are going to look at one of the many things that love is.   I am purposely jumping around 1 Corinthians 13 and sharing each day as I am feeling the leading of the Lord.   Today we will look at how love is patient.
 
 
 
 
1 Corinthians 13:4 (Amplified)
“Love endures long and is patient.”
 
 
 
First I would like to say that when we purpose to walk in God’s love, we will need to settle it in our hearts that we can only do it with His help. If ever we try to walk in His love in our own ability we will
always fall short. I would like to share with you one of my favorite scriptures and I think it is an excellent one to ponder and memorize in light of this devotion.
 
 
 
 
EPHESIANS 3:20 (The Message)

” God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it NOT  by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and
gently within us.”
 
 
 
I am going to share an interesting definition I found about the word patience. It is the quality of bearing an annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.   God desires to work deep within us but remember He is always a gentleman and He will not push us. He wants you to desire all of Him, and when you do so, you will begin to see Him transform your life in ways that you never thought possible. 
 
 
I love the part of the scripture where it says that He can do far more than you could ever imagine, guess, or request in your wildest dreams! In light of that let’s think about the patience in our lives as  individuals.  Did you ever watch someone go through an extremely hard thing.   You watched them patiently endure, and your thoughts might have been…”I wish I could be like that!”  or   “They are so strong, I wonder how they remained so patient in the midst of their test?”    Many times in my life as I observe strong people going through things, I will think upon a saying said many times…”Oh my, I cannot imagine being in their shoes.”     
 
 
I want to encourage your wildest dreams now!    If you are the least bit of an impatient person, begin to see yourself a patient person in areas where you sometimes lose your cool.   Begin to ask God to make this dream become a goal of growth for you!  What does patience mean to you? I think we can all be honest with ourselves that we all need more of it. The truth is impatience can turn a bad situation into a REALLY bad situation. I love when I can walk away from a situation or circumstance knowing that even though my patience was tested I made the right decision by seeking God’s help. But then there are times I know that have failed.
 
 
Today I want to encourage you to focus that goal of growth in patience in your life.  As you ponder that area, perhaps you can step out in faith and  give it to the Lord and believe that He is well able to help you grow in that area of your struggle.
 
 

Tomorrow we will look at patience even closer. We will see that the mentality of “giving up” is not allowed in our thought realm any longer. I encourage you to meditate on the scripture I shared (Ephesians 3:20) as well as a means of causing your heart to rise in believing that He can develop patience within you. Keep your eyes open today for opportunities to get stronger in the area of patience, and continue to go forward in His strength.