The fruit of the Spirit
The fruit of the Spirit is longsuffering: Nine spirit-filled characteristics demonstrated by Jesus
Paul often compared things to one another to show how we should overcome the world, its vices (Galatians 5:19-21), and its broad road that leads to damnation. He encourages us to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18) and then proceeds to explain what this involves. This is surely one of the most memorable pieces of Scripture, and it is a practical guideline for us as believers:
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. – Galatians 5:22-23
Longsuffering
The fourth fruit in the series Paul mentions is longsuffering. The word is often translated as patience although this does not really convey the true meaning. While patience merely refers to waiting for something to happen, and not being irritated by having to wait, longsuffering has a deeper meaning. The life of Christians in Paul’s time was not easy. The early church was met with brutal opposition, with a lot of early believers suffering as a result. Add to this the adjective long, and the word gets a much better meaning: enduring suffering for a long time despite the situation, and not to give up. It is easy to be patient with trivial things that do not adversely affect our lives. When we stand to be negatively affected by something, enduring it is a much more important virtue.
There is an interesting verse that shows the longsuffering of God:
9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. – 2 Peter 3:9
Can it be that God is longsuffering? Indeed. When we look at what Peter writes, God really has all reason to completely obliterate mankind’s unbelieving masses because of our rejection of His plan for man – eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. He sees all the wrongs we commit each day, yet He remains faithful and patiently waits for us to repent of our sins so that He can share with us His plan for an abundant life (John 10:10).
The important thing about longsuffering is that it teaches us endurance. I always imagine how Paul must have hated being imprisoned for such long periods. Here was a man on a mission. He wanted to be outside sharing the gospel, yet he spent many years in prisons. In this situation the word “patience” as we know it, would not have been sufficient to build character. Longsuffering on the other hand, aptly describes this virtue. The Greek word is μακροθυμία (macrothumia) where macro means large or long, and thumos, the base word, means temper. Thus, a person who displays this fruit is someone who has a long temper. Pauls says that we should take a long time before our temper gets the better of us.
Longsuffering is the fruit we should show when we are naturally short tempered, quick to be angered, and impatient. This anger is certainly not a virtue any believer should uphold and whenever we are guilty of it, it should be confessed as the sin that it is. Human anger shows that we are self-centred since we do not get our way and then blow off in spectacular fashion. Why do I know this? Because this is what I used to be like. Slowly over time, the Holy Spirit has not only shown me how wrong this is, but He has also taught me how to deal with it. It is probably best shown here:
29He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly. – Proverbs 14:29
James knew this very well, probably had a look at Proverbs himself, and his advice to us is this:
19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. – James 1:19-20
Paul did not only share the fruit of the Spirit with the churches in Galatia. He wrote to the church in Colossae:
12Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 13Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. – Colossians 3:12-13
Since the churches were in danger of being torn apart by false teachers, Paul admonished the members to remain together in unity. They could not afford differences in opinion to separate them. He reminds them that just as they had all been forgiven their trespasses through Christ, so they should forgive one another. This applies to us today as well.
Our biggest challenge to apply longsuffering in our lives is to remain faithful until the end. We all want Jesus to come today, take us away, and let those who remain on the Earth take care of what is left behind. There are many though, who are not going to finish the race of life, because they give up, in sight of the winning line at the end of the race. The Word is absolutely clear about this: only those who endure to the end will be saved:
22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. – Matthew 10:22
As you can see, longsuffering is much more than being patient when someone ahead of you in the queue does not move fast enough. Longsuffering is a fruit (virtue) that can only come through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and in many situations, it is a life-long process.
Conclusion
If in your life the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, and peace, you should now add longsuffering. If you are short tempered, you would have run into trouble in your past, as I have. However, we do not need remain like this. Pray that the Holy Spirit will instil in you the ability to endure to the end, understand that you will not always get things now, and allow the change that the Holy Spirit has made in your life, be visible to those around you as an example to all.