Is Patience truly a Virtue?

Psalm 141:3 (NLV) is a great verse in regard to not only allowing God to watch over and protect us from the things we may ingest, which in turn could be harmful for us; it is also a verse that all of us need to commit to memory and apply to how we speak to others, both in the body of Christ as well as the lost.

Listen to what the Pslamist asks of God. "Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips." This particular verse is supported in James 1:19 (NIV) when James exhorts us, "My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry ..."

Remember .... the fruits of the Spirit do not list "anger" as belonging to the tree. In fact, Paul says that the fruits a believer is to manifest [with the help of the Holy Spirit of course] are, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

Still, instead of producing fruit that would bring God glory, many of us are continuously guilty of producing [and when I list these, believe me, I am the chief of sinners, so I need reminding all the time] that, "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God."

The choice of which fruit you bare for the Kingdom is dependent upon you and the point of sanctification you are at. If any of the negative points listed in Galatians 5:19-21 are still rearing up within you, I suggest you try applying what the Pslamist said in 141:3, "Take control of what I say, O LORD, and guard my lips."

Everyone on this board/forum are still heading in the direction of heaven. None of us have arrived, and I know we haven't arrived because we are still standing above the ground, and not below it!

My pastor preached a great message on "Patience," and he challenged all of us to take five full seconds of silence and prayer to allow the Holy Ghost time to help us respond as God would and not react as the flesh will be so inclined to do!

I think this forum would be a different place if ALL of us started to practice God-like patience with one another. Ask yourself this one question? How would you like it if God treated you like you treat others? I am grateful God is slow to anger, and willing to work with me, because the truth is, I am still a work in progress."

A piece of damp clay still being molded into the image God has in mind for me! There have been many times. He has broken what was starting to take shape, only to break me, and remold me. I'm sure heaven will be the time when this piece of clay is finally taken out of the kiln, fired and ready to glorify and ne'er more to be broken, I will have the perfect body inside and out, and I will owe the praise to the Potter.

So, do you believe patience is a virtue? A fruit of God? :godisgood: