Patience

Memory Verse: For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Hebrews 10:36

Bible Passage: Hebrews 6:9-16

Introduction: Patience is the art of waiting, of not being in a hurry. In this context, we are looking at waiting on the Lord, waiting to give Him room and space to intervene, direct or act on your behalf. Other components are endurance and perseverance. It is a refusal to act on impulse or to give up. In the course of time, those who wait upon the Lord will have strength renewed and laugh last. It is one sure way of getting God on your side, when facing persecution or provocation. It can also be described as godly response to all afflictions and pressures of life, 2 Pet.3: 15, Rom.5: 3-4.
Features

Patience is essential to building relationships, great structures and enduring legacies, Prov.15: 18. God teaches us to wait upon Him and is greatly honoured and delighted, when we do, Heb.10: 36, Jam.5: 11. It is foolish to be hasty, Prov. 14:29. We all need patience to enjoy the full benefits of trials, Jam.1: 2-4. It entails hope, faith and grace, Heb.11: 1, Lam.3: 22-26. It strengthens and leads us to spiritual insight and understanding, Rom.8: 24-25. It sustains our expectation for the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Jam. 5: 7-8.
[ad unit=2]
How To Acquire
To receive this important gift, we first have to desire and ask for it, Job 14:14, Rom.15: 5, 2 Thess.3: 5. Secondly, we need to learn about His ways and means. He is never in a hurry, out of breath and cannot be stampeded, Lk.8: 15, Jn.5: Trials and temptations are nothing more than the basic syllabi in the biblical school of patience and of life, Jam.1: 2-4. Finally, the Holy Spirit is the giver of patience, Gal.5: 22-24. What a wonderful component of the fruit of the spirit. Impatience was the final character flaw that cost King Saul his kingdom, destiny and life. It will be tragic, if we allow ourselves to fall into the same fatal flaw.

Conclusion
We can learn from other biblical characters, who showed extraordinary patience and grace in the face of daunting odds. Examples include Abraham, Heb.6: 13-16, Jacob, Gen. 29:26-28, Job, Job 13:15, Hannah, 1 Sam.1: 1-6, Paul, Acts 16:23-24 and our Lord Jesus Christ, Heb.5: 8. By His grace, we too can run this heavenly race against all odds with patience and humility to reach our goal and receive our crown in the mighty name of Jesus, Heb.12: 1.