Patience – the First Responder of the Fruit of the Spirit

James 1:4 (NKJV)
⁴ But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be ^[a]perfect and complete,
lacking nothing.

Biblical patience and the world’s idea of patience are two very different things. The world’s idea of patience can be summed up by the phrase “gritting your teeth.” It involves putting up with the situation until the desired results are seen.  Biblical patience on the other hand allows us to go through a challenge victoriously before the manifestation of the victory is seen.

The Fruit of the Spirit individually are the attributes of God – His very nature, His DNA. As believers we have God’s DNA and therefore, we have His patience. A key to practicing the God-kind of patience is knowing what the Bible says it is.  One of the Biblical definitions of patience (and the one that best describes the “God-kind” of patience) is the word “constancy.” According to Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, “constancy” can be defined as “fixedness or firmness of mind; steady, unshaken determination.” The visual of Biblical patience is resting in the GRACE of God – trusting not trying to fix the situation while it plays out in our lives.

One well-known minister of the Gospel refers to patience as the “First Responder” of the Fruit of the Spirit. Think for a moment what a first responder does in the natural. First, he is the first one on the scene of a challenging or threatening situation. A first responder’s presence immediately brings calm to any situation. His presence sets the course for what is going to be done in the situation. Overall, the first responder creates an atmosphere that allows the challenge or threatening situation to be dealt with successfully.

In like manner, the Fruit of patience, when drawn upon will take a challenging or threatening situation and create an atmosphere of faith in which the will of God can be accomplished. Patience will first latch on to self-control and not allow fear or doubt to enter the equation. Whether we are dealing with a health issue, a financial issue, a relationship issue, or anything else which threatens the abundant life Jesus died to give us, having that fixedness or firmness (constancy) of mind is a must. The soul (mind, will and emotions) is where battles are won and lost.

That all sounds good, but how do we change after many years of believing that patience was simply enduring until something changed? As with everything successful in God’s Kingdom, patience is found in looking to and receiving His GRACE. GRACE can be defined (among other ways) as “sweatless effort.” It’s about what Jesus has already done, not about what we are trying to do. When we take our eyes off ourselves and what we are not, and focus on who the Word says we are, we allow GRACE to do what only GRACE can do. It brings our behavior and the situations we are facing into His will. It is an outgrowth of “sweatless effort.” It is not about doing nothing but rather about allowing Holy Spirit to guide us in what we do.

When Biblical patience is put to work, it allows the other Fruit to do their job. Self-control connects to our constancy and keeps itself in check. Peace is drawn to our refusal to be moved and creates an atmosphere where GRACE can happen. When we release the “First Responder of the Spirit” in our lives, we may not hear loud sirens or see flashing lights, but we can be certain that help is on the way!!

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