Summer Fruit: Kindness

July 26, 2015

Summer Fruit:  The Kiwi of Kindness    NOTES NOT EDITED

Ephesians 4:30-5:2

SIS— Kindness drives a Christian to be useful to others in
ways that will make their lives easier, more effective, and eternal.

This week I read about another smuggler.  A man on a bicycle carrying two heavy sacks approached the border of a closed country.  The guard at the border questioned the bicyclist.  “What do you have in those bags?”  To this the man replied, “Sir, the bags are just filled with sand.”  The border guard did not believe the man and growled at him, “You will have to open those bags so I can inspect them.”  The man complied with the guard’s orders.  The guard inspected each bag carefully and found that they were, indeed, only filled with sand.  The man put the bags back upon his shoulders and continued into the country.  This same even took place about two or three times each week for a month.  Each time, somewhat reluctantly and skeptically, the guard let the man pass with his sand.  After a little more than a month of this routine the guard did not see the man at the border again.  Then, the border guard met the man on the bicycle in the city at a local café.  The guard, now off duty, struck up a conversation.  “Hey, I haven’t seen you on your bicycle carry sand for a while. Your activity has got me wondering.  I know you were smuggling something into the country, but I can’t figure out what it was.  If you tell me what you were smuggling carrying those bags of sand on your bicycle, I promise I won’t turn you in.  I just need to know.  What was it you were smuggling?”  The man calmly responded, “bicycles.”

That story enlightens us in regard to our study of the “Fruits of the Spirit.”  It teaches us something about Bible study in general.  We can think we are seeing everything that is in a text, but often we can be overlooking what is really important.

Take the “Fruit of Kindness” as an example.  The word “kindness” conjures up in our mind—at least my mind—the picture of a gentle old man or lady taking care of stray animals.  Or, we might get the picture of someone giving money to a beggar on the street.  Certainly, kindness involves gentleness and generosity, but the biblical issue entails so much more.  

Three primary word groups are related to our English word,  “kindness, ” in the N.T.  Two mean good or beautiful, such as “good works” (kalos, Mat. 5:16) or “good things” (agathos, Lk. 1:53).  The word used in our text here in Ephesians and the list of the “Fruits of the Spirit” in Galatians 5:22-23 is from, crestos.  The words, "be kind," in verse 32 (γνησίως gnēsiōs, become + χρηστός chrēstos, kind) require a bit of explanation and expansion, just like other words describing other Fruits of the Spirit we have seen thus far.  The dictionary gives us the meaning of "friendly, generous, or considerate."  The N.T. Greek possesses these qualities but with a different emphasis.  Most people consider being "friendly, generous, or considerate" as describing a personality trait, or the demeanor of a person.  The Greek word gives more depth to the idea of kindness by adding the idea of being "useful" to another person.  Kindness is more than a benign idea of "do no harm," but more proactive as "do much good."  That's why the word, "crestos" often translates the Hebrew word in the Septuagint, "tōv," meaning "good."  Kind people are a sources of good for others.  Kind people actively work for the betterment of others.  In some Classical Greek texts the word, "crestos," describes a "worker bee" in a hive, as opposed to a "drone."  The drones are rather benign (they have no stingers) and do not contribute to the upkeep or safety of the hive.  Drones simply hang around the queen.  Worker bees sustain the life of the hive.  So, to be "friendly or mild," while admirable traits, do not sufficiently describe the fruit of kindness.  Kindness is an active, consistent, sacrificial lifestyle that works to be useful and beneficial to other s in tangible ways.  It is not a personality trait, but a proactive lifestyle.  It is also important to note the “voice” in the grammatical construction of verses 31-32.  The construction uses “passive” voice as opposed to “active” voice.  This is very significant in regard to kindness specifically and the fruits of the spirit in general.  Kindness is a response to the Holy Spirit in a person’s life (v. 30), and not something that arises out of the “goodness” of a person (for we know that there are no “good” people, Lk. 18:19).  Kindness emerges from the life of a Christian just like grapes grow from a vine—it is the vine that produces fruit, not the branches (Jn. 15:5).

Let’s Read Together Our Text on Kindness:  Ephesians 4:30-5:2

Biblical kindness, that not only blesses the doer eternally, but moves the one receiving the kindness closer to an eternal blessing has three components.

1.  COMMUNION with God and Man (30, 22-24; 32)

Lost people cannot be kind in the sense that God’s Word describes kindness.  Yes, they can do a “few good deeds” now and then.  Or, they may do a “lot of good deeds,” but that is not kindness in the Biblical sense.  Humanity, apart from God, will never be a “kind” place.  Think about it for a moment:  how many people give to “charitable” organizations (including the church), at least in part to get a tax deduction.  Is this “kindness?”  Not in the biblical sense. 

According to recent studies, the average person in the U.S. gives less than 2% of their income to churches or other charitable organizations.  Charitable organizations are glad to receive this money.  Persons who attend church regularly and are active in the ministry of a local church give 10% or more to charity—year after year.

What makes the difference?  Communion.  Communion is defined in the dictionary as:  the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings.  Communion (Greek, koinonia) is described in the Book of Acts:

^{Acts 4:44} Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.  ⁴⁵ They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need.

Acts 4:34 adds, “There was not a needy person among them.”

Kindness, like all the Fruits of the Spirit as I have mentioned several times but it bears repeating, requires an “intimate relationship with God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.”  Look what v30 says,

³⁰ And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. 
You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption.

This entire section, verses 17-31, leading up to the command to “be kind” (v32) is about “living a new life.”  In fact, the HCSB adds that as the title for this section.  Christians have “communion” with God—an intimate relationship—through the ministry of the Holy Spirit that transforms us into new men and women.  Look at verses 20-24:  ²⁰ But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, 21 assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus. ²² You took off your former way of life,  the old self  a that is corrupted by deceitful desires; ²³ you are being renewed  in the spirit  of your minds; ²⁴ you put on the new self, the one created  according to God’s likeness  in righteousness and purity of the truth.

Kindness is a “Fruit of the Spirit” and spiritual fruit cannot grow on fleshly vines.  When we realize we have sinned against God, and we turn 180 degrees away from our life of sin (repent), then God “seals us with His very own Spirit.”  Now, we become “reservoirs” of kindness with good deeds bubbling up without an external pump or influence.  Kindness is not what a believer does, so much as “who a believer, IS!”  Kindness requires “communion” with God through the forgiveness of our sins.  Verse 32 drives home this point.

forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.

If you are not a believer, and you have not turned away from your sin, and received forgiveness, then, stop trying to be kind or good.  It is a waste of your time.  You’ll be like Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is promising to do “great good for our country.”  He’s says, “I want to make America great again.”  My problem is this:  where’s his goodness going to come from?  He has no reservoir of goodness or kindness because he is not saved.  He has never even asked God for forgiveness.  He went into great detail in a recent interview in which he was asked directly, “Have you ever asked God for forgiveness.”  His answer,  “No, I guess I have not. When I realize I have done something wrong, I just try to make it right.”  That’s the sorry plight of every non-believer:  trying to impress God with good works rather than repent and receive God’s Indwelling Spirit.  As a result, I think Trump has been married four times and has filed for bankruptcy multiple times—and who knows what other skeletons lurk in his closet.  Now, I don’t want to beat up on Trump because he is not a Christian—he’s probably no worse in the spiritual arena than any of the other 30 GOP candidates—but, I want to illustrate that true “kindness” requires a deep COMMUNION, or connection with God.

2.  COMPASSION (25-29; 31-32)

True communion with God—and intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit dwelling in our lives—leads to deep compassion for others.  Our text links the fruit of kindness with the spirit of compassion:

And be kind and compassionate  to one another, forgiving  one another, just as God also forgave you  in Christ.

Communion with God makes God our Heavenly Father which makes other Christians our brothers and sisters.  So, communion has both a vertical aspect and a horizontal aspect.  So many churches are full of people that have little in common except they sit in the same building once a week.  Even worse than that, many people who sit in church with others week after week, suffer serious deficiencies in the hearts that makes it impossible to produce the fruit of kindness, or any other fruit of the Spirit.  In fact, if they are even true believers, any fruit that they produce is full of worms or outright rotten.  Instead of exhibiting a spirit of “kindness and compassion,” many believers suffer from several “fruit damaging attitudes.”  Notice the list in verses 22-32:

lying or gossiping (vv25, 31); anger (vv26, 31); stealing (things like cheating on income tax; getting soda in a water cup at McD’s, v28) being lazy (v28); not sharing generously with others (v28); harsh, crude, or foul language (v29); bitterness (v30); shouting (creating an uproar, disturbance, or dissension as in a group, v31); malice (any feeling of ill-will, v31).

Did anybody flinch from anything mentioned on that list?  Any of these attitudes will destroy the fruit of kindness specifically, or spiritual fruit in general.  Kindness is impossible if we are walking in the flesh.  We cannot love those in the family of God, and we sure won’t display a “crazy kindness” to those in the world, if our fruit has worms in it like those attitudes in this list.  Verse 22 and 24 tell exhort us that we must, “take off the old man and put on the new.”

Our text calls us to:  be kind and compassionate (v32).   Kindness and compassion are like two sides of the same coin.  The word translated “compassion” actually intensifies the meaning of kindness.  The English word comes from two Latin words meaning, “with passion.”  A person whose heart if filled with kindness through an intimate relationship with God is like an “artesian well” of “good deeds.”  An artesian well or spring is a source of water that flows up from the ground without any external force or pumping.  In the same manner a person who has been truly “touched” by God and lives in a moment by moment communion with God cannot help but to look at others “with passion.” 

The word translated, “compassion” in the HCSB is translated “tender-hearted” in other translations (KJV, ESV).  It is based upon two words, “eu” meaning “good,” and “splanchnon” which refers to the “inner organs,” especially the bowels or intestines.  The idea of “tenderness” comes from the fact that these are “vulnerable or tender” organs.  It was in this area that ancient people spoke of emotion, as in the phrase, “bowels of mercy” seen often in the KJV.  The point with compassion, or “good innards,” is the fact that our love for others comes from the deepest parts of our being.  We should have that kind of “deep, tender, passionate” concern for others that drives us to the most active practice of kindness.  Communion with God, true communion, leads to an intense compassion for others both in the family of God and in the world, evidenced by an unstoppable flow of kindness.

One of my least favorite presidents in modern history was Jimmy Carter.  He was a “one-term president,” and not a very good one at that according to many political pundits.  He’s also very “liberal” in his theology.  Here’s the deal with Carter in my estimation:  what he may have lacked in politics and theology he more than makes up for in compassion.  Jimmy Carter is the face of “Habitat for Humanity.”  Habitat for Humanity builds houses for low income families and then gives them away at little or no cost.  Jimmy Carter, in his earlier years with Habitat actually swung a hammer on projects.  Nobody can fault his “compassion” for his fellow man.  Here’s something Carter once said about the compassion of most churches:  Most church members—including me—rarely reach outside to people who are different from us or less fortunate.  Quite often my Sunday school class with say, “Why don’t we take up a collection and give a nice Thanksgiving meal to a poor family?”  The next question is, “Who knows a poor family?” Nobody does.  We have to call the welfare office to get a name and address.  Kindness fuels compassion.  “Be kind and compassionate.” 

3.  Commitment (5:1-2)

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. ² And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

When we go out to buy something, like a car for example, sooner or later we always get down to the question, “How much is this going to cost?”  When it comes to kindness, that’s a question we should ask and one that the Bible answers, especially in this text.  If you will recall when I preached on the “Fruit of Love,” I pointed out that it was mentioned first because all the other Fruits of the Spirit are related to it, and flow forth from it. 

In our text we are being exhorted, or commanded, to live a “renewed life in the Spirit.”  We are told what to put off, such as in our list of “worms” in our fruit—gossiping, crude language, bitterness, causing dissension, and all the rest.  We are told what to “put on,” such as kindness and compassion.  Now, Paul is going to tell us “how” to be kind and compassionate and demonstrate the “Fruits of the Spirit” in our daily living.  To boil our instructions for fruitful living down to the most concise statement it would be:  “Imitate God.”  Simply live your life like Jesus lived His life.

The key element in the life of Jesus was “total commitment.”  As they say in the sports’ world, “He left it all on the field,” or in His case, the cross.  When Jesus reached the climax of His worldly mission He gave absolutely everything He had—down to the last drop of His blood.  So, to exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit, in this case, kindness, one simply needs to “Imitate God.”  He “gave Himself for us, a sacrifice.”

I know people who regularly give to the people begging at street corners or freeway off ramps.  Certainly these would qualify as “acts of kindness” at least at some level.  But, remember the word for kindness means in part to be “useful.”  When we drop a few bucks on a beggar, are we truly be useful?  That is a rhetorical question not because the answer is obvious, but because it is not obvious.  I believe we ought to help the down and out.  In fact, I feel good when I give a beggar a few bucks.  But, am I just glossing over the issue like whitewashing a grave?  How does God measure kindness?  God measures kindness by the depth of our commitment, not represented by an occasional gift to the down and out, but by our lifestyle.  God measures our acts of kindness not by how much we give away, but how much we keep for ourselves.  I almost reworded that statement and considered taking it out all together as being too harsh.  That’s too much to put on people.  That’s a guilt trip I told myself.  That’s cheap manipulation of peoples’ emotions.  Then I read vs. 5:1-2 again:  Imitate God.  [Jesus] gave Himself for us, a sacrificial offering.

Hard to say that in a way that doesn’t sound like it some all-consuming and absolute—maybe even a bit harsh.  Folks, that’s what the Bible says.  The real problem I have with preacher’s like Joel Olsteen and others of that ilk is that their preaching seems more like a “what’s in it FOR ME, message rather than what should be flowing FROM ME.”

Remember I said earlier that the word here translated, “kindness,” is found in some Classical Greek texts referring to a “worker bee” as opposed to a “drone.”  A drone never leaves the safety of the hive.  A drone lives off the nectar the worker bees collect and cultivate.  So many Christians are like “drones.”  They never leave the safety and security of the sanctuary.  Drone-Christians, will never be “reservoirs of living water” to people in the world?  No, they will be like the Dead Sea—it is dead because fresh water flows into it, but does not flow out of it.  Therefore, it is a “dead” sea.  It has an inlet, but no outlet and therefore no life.

Communion with God breeds compassion for others and requires a total commitment to bear the fruit of kindness, or any other of the Fruits of the Spirit.  Commitment.  It’s a hard word.  It’s a word that leaves little room for discussion.  Commitment has no loop-holes.

Years ago, A Pig and a Chicken are walking down the road.

The Chicken says: "Hey Pig, I was thinking we should open a restaurant!" Pig replies: "Hm, maybe, what would we call it?"

The Chicken responds: "How about 'ham-n-eggs'?" The Pig thinks for a moment and says: "No thanks. For you that would be involvement, but for me it would be total commitment.”

Kindness, true Biblical, Fruit of the Spirit kindness is a “total commitment” to others and the kingdom of God.  Kindness drives a Christian to be useful to others in ways that will make their lives easier, more effective, and eternal.

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Summer Fruit: The Plum of Patience

July 19, 2015

Summer Fruit:  The Plum of Patience        NOTES NOT EDITED

1Samuel 13:8-15

SIS— Patience is an attitude that allows us to “bear difficult burdens” long enough for God to break through with a blessing.

It’s hard to sum up any of the virtues listed in Galatians 5:22 as the “Fruit of the Spirit.”  Patience is particularly hard because the Bible uses many different synonyms to describe patience, and rarely uses the word, “patience.”  Paul Coelho, a Brazilian writer who has sold over 190 million copies of his works seems to have come to a deep understanding of the idea of patience.  He always wanted to be a writer but his parents were against it.  They wanted him to become an engineer or some such “reasonable” profession like his father.  His opposition to such a “traditional path” path and naturally introspective ways resulted in his parents having him committed to a mental institution on three different occasions.  Each time he escaped until they finally released him at age 20.  He tried to please his parents and enrolled in law school.  A year later he dropped out.  He lived as a hippie vagabond travelling through South America, North Africa, Mexico and Europe trying to find his way through drugs.  Finally he returned to Brazil and became a well-known song writer.  It would not be until he was almost 40 years old before he would finally arrive at his desired destination and become a writer.  The rest they say, “is history.”  I tell you this to set up his quote about patience.  The road to realizing our purpose in life may be long and twisted with high mountains and deep valleys.  Discovering our purpose in life will take patience, and that takes time and trust.  Through all of his long, twisted journey to becoming a writer, Paulo Coelho realized this:

“The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.”

This quote echoes what the Bible teaches about patience.  Patience has two primary components, “time and trust.”  The Bible describes patience as,  an attitude that allows us to “bear difficult burdens” long enough for God to break through with a blessing.

In our text this morning we see a “negative” example in the life of Saul, the Israelite King.  He did not exercise patience and it cost him his kingdom, and the blessing of God. 

LET’S READ 1SAM 13:8-15 to see three aspects of patience.

1.  First, we see Patience Commanded (v13)

Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. 

You have not kept the command which the Lord your God gave you.  It was at this time that the Lord would have permanently established your reign over Israel.

If you can reach back in your memory to the sermon on “joy” you will recall that the Bible teaches that joy is dependent upon obedience.  That’s true of all fruits in our lives.  Blessing, or fruit, in our lives always arises out of obedience to God’s commands.  You have heard it said, I’m sure, that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  Even those that flunked math can see the truth in that statement.  Well, according to spiritual mathematics, the shortest distance from us to blessing is obedience.

How many commands are there in the Bible?  I must confess, I’ve never counted them.  I’m pretty sure there are at least ten.  According to Jewish Rabbis, there are 613.  At least that’s what Wikipedia tells us.  According to the enumeration set forth by medieval philosopher and Talmud expert, Maimonides, there are 365 positive commands, corresponding to the number of days in a solar year.  Additionally, there are 248 negative commands corresponding to the number of bones and vital organs in the body.  This is fascinating to me, not because they came up with 613 commands, but that they did so without bothering to count. 

Now, somebody did bother to count the number of commands in the N.T. and list them under 69 headings.  According to Christian Assemblies International there are 1050 commands, just in the N.T.  Not being Jewish and not trusting the accounting of Christian Assemblies International, I counted the commands for myself.  Well, after a few chapters of Genesis, I decided that according to my estimation the number of commands in the Bible fall somewhere between quite a few and a whole lot! 

Let me ask the question from a different angle.  Instead of asking, how many commands are there in the Bible, let me ask, “Why is there even ONE command in the Bible?”  Did God give us commands simply to make us jump through hoops like circus dogs for His sole pleasure?  Is God simply a “Cosmic Killjoy” that commands us against anything pleasurable, profitable, or fattening?  Does God give us commands to deprive us or defeat us?  Or, does God give us commands to bless us?  Look closely at verse 13 and you will see the answer.  Samuel reminded Saul,

“If you had [obeyed God’s commandment] He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.”

I’ll say more about the context of this verse in a minute, but notice that the Bible teaches, “obedience to God’s command was intended to lead to God’s blessing.”  Obedience always leads to blessing.  We need to be “patient” and wait on God to break through.  There is some debate over when God specifically made this command but the language seems to suggest the seven day waiting period is that commanded in 1Sam. 10:7-8:

⁷ When these signs have happened to you, do whatever your circumstances require because God is with you. ⁸ Afterward, go ahead of me to Gilgal.  I will come to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice fellowship offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you and show you what to do.”

God, through Samuel, outlined clearly what God expected from Saul and what Saul could expect from God.  Also, note especially, that “waiting patiently” does not necessarily mean “sitting and doing nothing.”  While we are waiting patiently on God we need to be diligent and “do whatever your circumstances require.”  Trusting God does not remove our responsibility, but it guarantees the effectiveness of our actions.

First and foremost we see that patience is “commanded.”  We are commanded to trust God and wait on Him to break through with blessing to prevent us from “stumbling forward on wobbly legs of our own desires and devices.”  God’s commands ALWAYS protect us from the bad consequences of following our own foolish plans instead of God’s. 

If you have not yet grown the fruit of patience upon the tree of your life, it would be highly advisable to resolve today that you will:  1) Gain the knowledge of God’s plan and purpose for your life by reading His Word; and 2) you will wait patiently for God to accomplish His plan and purpose for your life—no matter how long it takes or how hard it becomes.  This leads to aspect number two:

2.  Patience WILL be Tested (11-12)

and Samuel asked, “What have you done?”

Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash, ¹² I thought: The Philistines will now descend on me at Gilgal, and I haven’t sought the Lord’s favor. So I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

You can bet that the more you desire to develop the fruit of patience, the more your patience will be tested.  Saul’s faith waivered when he gave too much consideration to his circumstances and too little consideration to his faith in God. 

Verses 1-7 tell us what was happening.  Back in chapter 8, Israel had clamored for a king like other countries had who would defend them from their enemies (1Sam. 8:20).  Saul had been selected as that king, against the admonition of Samuel, the prophet.  Now, Saul was called on to make good on these expectations.  The Philistines, a pagan nemesis of Israel, were amassing an army to attack.  Verses 5-6 sum up the situation:

⁵ The Philistines also gathered to fight against Israel: 3,000  chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and troops as numerous as the sand on the seashore.  They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.  ⁶ The men of Israel saw that they were in trouble because the troops were in a difficult situation. They hid in caves, thickets, among rocks, and in holes and cisterns.  ⁷ Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead.

God had promised through Samuel that He was going to eliminate the threat of the Philistines and establish the kingship of Saul.  God was going to work through His prophet Samuel.  Saul was to wait patiently.  Patience is easy when circumstances are bright but it gets a bit tougher when everything goes South.  Saul did what we all tend to do when circumstances get bad—we take matters into our own hands.

Patience is not how we react in good times, but how we respond to difficult times.  As I said before, the word patience occurs rarely as a noun in the Bible.  In fact, the word “patience” only appears a few times in most English Bibles—18 verses in HCSB, 21 in ESV. Hebrew really does not have a comparable word for our word patience.  But, there are several words which describe related issues, like perseverance, endurance, or steadfastness. These words all share the idea of “standing up under some test.”  In fact the English dictionary defines patience as “the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.” 

Another phrase often used related to patience is “long nosed.”  Exodus 34:6 gives us a description of the patience of God:  “Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth.”  As in most cases, the Bible describes words, rather than defines them.  The phrase “long nose” (אָרֵךְ arek + אַף aph) uses the most common word for patience in the O.T., “arek.”  It refers to the idea of slowness or restraint in response to difficult challenges or people.  The idea of adding the word, “nose,” may be related to the Hebrew cultural idea of a man’s nose getting read when he is angry.  Hence, patience becomes, “a long time to get a red nose,” or “slow to anger or reaction.”  The Greek word in Galatians 5:22, embodies that Hebrew perspective.  It is μακροθυμία (makrothumia).  This literally means “a long (macro) time to boil (thumos).”  So, in both O.T. and N.T. thought patience involves both a “time” element and an “action or attitude” element.  Thus, patience is both related to how long we wait AND how we wait, or how we respond to the difficult or uncertain times in life.  Patience is ultimately a matter of trust.  It is not just a matter of “idly passing time,” but a matter of expectation that our time waiting on God will be rewarded.  Patience is continuing to work and serve the Lord even when it looks like the situation is hopeless.

Saul’s great error, and the mistake that would keep him from receiving God’s blessing, is that he took matters into his own hands.  Now note that what he did was not a “bad thing.”  He performed the very same religious ritual that Samuel was going to perform—but it brought a curse, not a blessing.  Obedience is not doing good things but doing the things God has asked us to do.  Saul did the right things with the wrong heart and received a curse not a blessing.

All the religious rituals in the world cannot substitute for an obedience which flows from a devoted relationship with God, Himself.  Patience is not a matter of how we react in the good times, but how we act in the tough times.  Patience will be tested.  In fact, it’s the testing that produces patience.  James teaches us:

² Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials,  ³ knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴ But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

This verse demonstrates how difficult it is to define patience.  The HCSB translates the word, “hypomonēn,” as “endurance.”  The ESV translates it as, “steadfastness.”  The NIV translates it, “perseverance.”  The KJV translates it, “patience.”  This demonstrates the range of meaning related to patience.  The common element is a “testing.”  Patience is developed through overcoming the tests and trials of life by trusting fully that God will come through on time, every time.  Every test we patiently endure makes us stronger.

We all face tests every day.  Our response says a lot about who we are and what we believe.  I remember reading a story about a lion.  As you are aware, lions are the kings of the jungle.  One particular lion wanted to put the other animals of the jungle to a test to see if they really knew who was the king of the jungle.  Not wanting to bother with the little animals, he went first to a bear.  “Who’s the king of the jungle,” the lion roared.  Trembling the bear answered, “Why you are of course.”  “Good. You pass the test,” the lion said.  Next the lion went to a tiger—a massive, splendid looking beast.  “Who’s the king of the jungle,” growled the lion.  The tiger quickly responded, “Why, you are of course.”  The lion grinned and said, “Good.  You pass the test.”  Next on the list was the elephant with skin as thick as armor and legs like tree trunks.  “Who’s the king of the jungle,” roared the mighty lion.  Quicker than a flash the elephant snatched up the lion in his trunk, whirled him in the air five or six times and slammed the lion into a tree.  Then the elephant pounded the lion on the ground several times, picked him up again in his trunk and dunked him in the lake a few times before tossing the lion on the shore.  The lion was beaten, battered, and bruised but managed to say, “Hey, look just because you don’t know the answer is no reason to get mean about it.”

We all face tests in life.  The answers to life’s questions may not always come quickly or easily, but we need to be patient and continue serving the Lord until the Lord breaks through with a blessing.  As you develop the plum of patience, expect that your patience will be tested.

3.  Patience will be Rewarded (13-14)

¹³ “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the LORD your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. ¹⁴ But now your kingdom will not endure; the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the LORD’s command.”

Had Saul been patient and obeyed the Lord’s command he would have been rewarded with a kingdom over Israel for his lifetime and continuing throughout the lives of his heirs. God delights in giving great gifts to His children.  Rewarding obedience is a key element in God’s relationship to us as Our Heavenly Father.  Listen to what Jesus said about the rewards of a relationship with God (Mt. 7:7-11):

⁷ “Keep asking,  and it will be given to you.  Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds,  and to the one who knocks, the door  will be opened. ⁹ What man among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

James echoes the same sentiment about the rewards of living in a loving relationship with God (James 1:17):

¹⁷ Every generous act and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights; with Him there is no variation or shadow cast by turning.

Paul touches on the theme of God’s rewards (Heb. 10:36): ³⁶ For you need endurance [hypomonēs, patience], so that after you have done God’s will, you may receive what was promised.

If Saul had just been patient and waited as Samuel had instructed him, he would have been rewarded with an everlasting kingdom.  Instead, that everlasting kingdom went to another, David, and through David the Eternal King Jesus Christ was born.

Patience will be rewarded.  God delights in giving blessings to His obedient children.  Trusting and waiting patiently may be the hardest virtue to perfect, but it brings unimaginable rewards. 

We’ve examined how important patience is as a “fruit in our spiritual basket.”  Waiting is not easy.  Waiting when chaos is swirling all around you is even harder.  God commands us to be patient.  Circumstances test our patience; but God will always reward our patience.  So, when God says, “Wait,” doing anything else is great folly.  Waiting is not a natural talent for me in any stretch of the imagination.  I’m afraid I am more like Saul than I’d like to admit.  I want to get things done—and get them done yesterday!  I don’t have a lot of “Plums of Patience” in my spiritual fruit basket.  Yet I understand the importance of patience, which really is nothing more than trusting in God to break through with a blessing every time just in time.  Why exactly is patience so important?  Have you ever seen those “pop-up thermometers” that tell you when your turkey is done cooking?  These little knitting-needle-like thermometers are pushed deep into the turkey before the turkey goes in the oven.  They must go all the way into the core of the turkey.  As the turkey cooks the inner core temperature rises.  The thermometer is calibrated to “pop it’s top” when the turkey reaches the right temperature.  The thermometer registers the inner core temperature because if the inner core of the turkey is cooked, then the outside will be as well.  So, the little red thingy “pops up” when the turkey is ready to eat. 

That little “pop up thermometer” is like patience.  Most of us want God to “pop up” and give us the desires of our heart—right now!  But, God knows that we are not “fully cooked” and ready to receive His blessing, so He tells us to wait.  The Plum of Patience guarantees we will be “fully cooked” and ready to be blessed.

Be patient . . . God’s cooking up a great blessing for you!

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