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Do you have Faith, Love and Patience?

by Elizabeth Marks  
11/28/2006 / Devotionals

We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, 4 so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 NKJV

The fruit of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV are love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Thessalonians had many of these fruit visible in their walk with the Lord. Look at what Paul says in todays verse.

Their faith was growing exceedingly. How do you know when someones faith is growing? way to tell is how quickly they turn to God in prayer. Just the other day, I was explaining to my 12 year son, how God proves Himself real to me through answering my prayers. If we dont pray, were not giving God the opportunity to answer us and then how can He make Himself real to us? Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV says Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Im not saying thats the only way God does things. However, Ive found turning God and acknowledging Him in prayer is definitely how He increased my faith, little by little with each answer He provided.

The Thessalonians love for others was apparently very noticeable as well. How do you recognize love in someones life? Rather than us guessing what love is like, lets look at how the Bible defines of love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NKJV Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Does it mean they had all these things evident in their lives? We dont know. But we do know that they suffered because of persecutions and tribulations. Notice the first element of love described above is about suffering and kindness. So its quite possible, they handled the trials appropriately without blame, rudeness, or taking revenge.

Patience was obvious through all the trials they endured. Patience is mentioned in both the fruit of the Spirit list and in loves definition. They had patience as they endured the difficult times in life. Patience is a result of living out of the Spirit, instead of walking in the flesh. I dont know about you, I always seem to fail when I try to have patience. The harder I try to be patient, the harder it is to reach patience. Thats because its not something we can do on our own. We need the Spirit to guide us into patience. If you find yourself lacking in patience, stop and do a quick inventory of yourself. Do you see the fruit of the spirit or attributes of love in your life? If not, drop everything and pray. Ask God to humble your heart, show you where youre trying to take control in your life and ask Him to help you depend whole heartedly on Him. Then rest knowing our God is good and will answer your prayers that are aligned with His will.

The Thessalonians exhibited faith, love and patience that were evident to everyone around them. Are you seeing faith, love and patience in your life? If not, turn to the Lord, acknowledge Him and He will show you what needs adjusting in your life.

Lord, thank you for loving us and taking the penalty of sin away from us. Thank you for your Holy Spirit to guide us back to you. Help us live by the Spirit and not by the flesh. Let us acknowledge you in all our ways, so You will direct our paths. In Jesus precious name we ask these things. Amen.

Copyright Elizabeth Marks, author of ThinkOnIt Devotions, has a heart for encouraging believers with God's Word. Please visit http://www.ThinkOnItDevotions.com for more devotions, bible studies, book reviews and more!

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