The Fourth Fruit of the Spirit - Patience

Different roots produce different fruits.  Apples trees produce apples.  Orange trees produce oranges.
 
 Roots in Jesus reflect His character.  When your life is rooted in Jesus, the fruit you bear is His (Galatians 5:22-23).  It must happen.
 
 Patience is the fourth fruit of the Spirit.  Patience has learned to wait expectantly on the Lord.  It concedes to God’s timing over its own timeline.  It believes God in His sovereignty will bless those who wait on Him (Isaiah 30:18).
 
 Patience trusts that God’s timing is perfect, that He alone can be trusted in all situations and seasons: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 5:1).  It steadfastly believes He will make everything beautiful in its time (3:11).
 
 When we wait on the Lord, God is perfecting His work in us.  He is strengthening our spiritual muscles.  Similar to resistance training, “wait training” builds resistance to the enemy.  It protects our faith by developing in us the strength we need to persevere.
 
 Patience and perseverance go together.  The Lord sustains those who persevere.  His Word says so: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1:12).  This truth must never be forgotten.
 
 Put your life’s roots deeply in Jesus.  Persevere.  Be patient!  Trust.  His timing is perfect.
 
 And strength will rise for those who learn to wait upon the Lord (Isaiah 40:31).