Making Life Work
Session 5 – Patience
Big Idea: Being slow to anger and seeking first to understand is essential to making life work with others.
Ice Breaker: Have you ever seen someone throw a temper tantrum because they didn’t get what they wanted at the exact moment that they wanted it?
1. What good does it do to get upset about stuff?
READ Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
2. What do the above fruit of the spirit have in common? How does displaying patience reveal other fruit of the spirit?
3. What was a time that you showed an unbelievable amount of patience or resolve in a situation? Did it turn out well for you to be patient?
4. What was a time that you showed a complete lack of patience? Would the situation have turned out better if you had been patient?
Consider The Message version of the above verses from Galatians…
Galatians 5:22-23 (The Message)
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way.
5. How does this compare to your definition of patience or at least the results of living out patience?
Often times we joke about not praying for patience because we think it will lead to nothing but experiences and scenarios that test our resolve and formulate patience within us. It’s kind of like working out. We want the results but we don’t want to go through the pain to get those results. Patience can be painful, especially in the moment, but the long term results of a patient person let all the fruits of the spirit shine.
READ Proverbs 14:29 (The Message)
Slowness to anger makes for deep understanding; a quick-tempered person stockpiles stupidity.
6. What do you think is the difference between patience and avoidance or harboring?
7. How does exhibiting patience, as opposed to anger, give us understanding in any given situation?
8. How do you think a lack of patience has affected and continue to affect our culture?
Cultivating patience is not something that we can do alone, rather it is only something that is produced in us as Christ-followers as directed by the Holy Spirit. With God living inside of us, and His power at work within us, we are then able to cultivate and exhibit patience throughout our lives in a variety of different settings and areas. When we display patience we have the ability to act and then respond appropriately rather than simply reacting.
READ James 1:19-20 (NLT)
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.
9. How does patience reveal Christ to others?
10. Where/how do you see God developing patience in you?
James 1:19-20 (The Message)
Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
The Message version of James paints a picture of life with patience. Picture a sign at every intersection reminding us to seek first to understand. Look in the rearview mirror and see all the anger we hold onto fade into the distance. As we look ahead we see the landscape God has put before us that is simply good, peaceful, and full of serenity.
WHAT’S NEXT: The commitment to patience…
Rate your patience on a scale of 1-5 (1 being low and 5 being high). This week, instead of dreading the many things that test our patience, embrace them. Pray that God would be with you and grow you in this area this week. After a week of dealing with relationships, work, waiting in lines, waiting on God, and of course traffic, rate yourself again on the same scale.
If you do this on a weekly basis you will see yourself gradually move up the scale. There may be times when you slip back down but God does not expect perfection, he expects improvement!
