Endurance, Kindness, and Goodness

 

II.             Patient Endurance

 

Depending on what translation you are using for your Bible scripture study, you will read several different words used to describe this one Fruit of the Holy Spirit.  

In the King James version, it's translated as  longsuffering.  The Message Bible calls it a "willingness to stick with things."  And, the Amplified Bible says that this Fruit is manifested when the Holy Spirit gives you an even temper, and something called forbearance. 

Dictionary.com says that forbearance is patient endurance!  This simply means that the Holy Spirit will give you the ability to endure trials and tribulations, as you patiently watch for your victory.    
 

Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren,
whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort
or fall into various temptations.
Be assured and understand that
the trial and proving of your faith bring out
endurance and steadfastness and patience.
But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play
and do a thorough work,
so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed
[with no defects], lacking in nothing.
-James 1:2-4 (AMP)

Why can you patiently endure trials and tribulations?  Because you know that God's Word will always prevail in His timing.  

Notice what God is telling you through this scripture.  He says that trials are only an opportunity for you to prove your faith in His promises.  Do you believe what you see in front of your eyes, or do you believe what the Word of God says about your situation?  

Anyone can believe God's promises for healing when they aren't sick.  But what happens when they get a bad report from the doctor, and 6 months have passed with no improvement.  Where is their faith then?

A trial is your chance to prove to yourself, your God, and the world, that you really do believe!

It is amazing that God says we should let patience and endurance complete their work in us.  He tells us that they are what will really make us "fully developed" (James 1:4 AMP).  

Patiently waiting on God with expectancy in your heart brings about spiritual maturity.  That is why allowing this Fruit of the Holy Spirit to begin growing inside of you is so necessary.

III.         Christian Kindness

 

We've been told to "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" since we were 3 years old.  So, sometimes we can take the idea of kindness for granted.

But, when we do a Bible scripture study on kindness, we find out the emphasis that our Heavenly Father really puts on just being nice.  

God tells us that, since He has chosen us to be His children that He loves, we have a responsibility to clothe ourselves in tenderhearted mercy and kindness (Colossians 3:12 NLT).  

I mention mercy together with kindness, because they are so interconnected.  You may consider yourself to be kind, but can your kindness pass the ultimate test?  Can you show the mercy of God to those around you, or do you still need to learn how to forgive those that trespass against you?

Proverbs, known as the book of wisdom, holds some wisdom for us regarding kindness.  We are told that there is actually a reward for being kind.     

If you do this, you will live many years,
and your life will be satisfying.
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!
Tie them around your neck as a reminder.
Write them deep within your heart.
Then you will find favor with both God and people,
and you will earn a good reputation.

-Proverbs 3:2-4 (NLT)

I've heard many Christians confessing the end of this scripture - "I have favor with God and man."  But, as I have said before, God works in covenant promises.   If you are not doing your part of the promise, you can not expect to walk in the provision.

Yes, we all want to live many years and have our lives be satisfying.  We want to have favor with God and with people.  But, have we hung kindness and loyalty around our necks as reminders to always walk in them?  

That is where the Holy Spirit comes in.  It is there to help you to be kind to people who do not deserve your kindness anymore than you deserve the kindness of a Holy God.

As you grow in the area of kindness through God's Spirit, you will be surprised how many people you begin to draw to God.  Becoming a representative of His mercy and kindness here on the earth allows you to be a reflection of God's unconditional love.  

Let the world see the love of God through your kindness. 
  

IV.           Goodness

For once you were darkness,

but now you are light in the Lord;
walk as children of Light...
For the fruit...of the Light
or the Spirit
[consists] in every form of
kindly goodness,
uprightness of heart,
and trueness of life.
-Ephesians 5:8-9 (AMP)

Of course, God's Word can explain the true heart of goodness better than I ever could.  And I truly believe that it does in that scripture.  

This Fruit of "the Light or the Spirit," as God puts it in this scripture, is being kind, having a heart for righteousness, and living a life that is true and dedicated to the source of truth - The Lord.

What makes a person good?  Sometimes religion can get us to focus on lots of little rules and regulations. We get distracted by denominations, or even things that amount to no more than rituals.  

But, God is looking at your heart.  And He is looking at your life. Is it full of goodness?  

The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink,
but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
-Romans 14:15 (NLT) 

Those should be the things that we focus our energies on.  Because those are the things that matter to God.

V.              Fruits of the Holy Spirit Bible Scripture Study Reflection Questions:   Have you ever had to wait on a promise from God's Word to manifest itself in your life?  What did you learn from the experience? Does it shock you to know that God believes developing patient endurance will make you "fully developed" spiritually?  Why or why not? Do you feel that many Christians take kindness and mercy for granted?  Have you ever done this yourself? What do you think qualifies a person as being "good" in God's eyes?

  

VI.           Faith and Faithfulness

 

When we study this particular Fruit of the Holy Spirit, we find that it is translated differently in various translations.  Some translations show it as faith, while others describe it as faithfulness.  

The Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionary explains that the term used when the scripture was written would have meant "...moral conviction of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God..."  to the readers of the time.  

I think this definition more closely lines up with the way we would define the word faith, so that is what we will examine here.

What is faith?

NOW FAITH is the assurance
(the confirmation, the title deed)
of the things [we] hope for,
being the proof of things [we] do not see
and the conviction of their reality
[faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
 -Hebrews 11:1 (AMP)

Faith is the "title deed," or, essentially, the proof of ownership for the things that you are still hoping for.  The things that, with your senses, you can't even see yet.  In fact, you may be seeing the opposite!  

But, it is your faith that is the confirmation that you already possess it in the spiritual realm.

Faith is probably one of the biggest challenges, because it is believing in something that you can not see, long after you thought it would have appeared.  That is why faith is not something you have to come up with on your own - It is a One of the 9 Fruits of the Spirit. Faith is not something that you just have to scrounge up from inside of yourself.  It is something that grows inside of you from spending time with God's Holy Spirit.  

Never think that you do not have enough faith.  The Holy Spirit is your source for as much as you need!

VII.       Gentleness

 

I like the way that the Message Bible explains gentleness.  It says that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will no longer feel the need to "force our way in life" (Galatians 5:22 Message)  

Our society is very Me centered. People feel that they have to Take Care of Number One,  or they will somehow miss out or be taken advantage of.

But, when you realize that God is taking care of you, and that He can do a much better job of it than you ever could, you loose the conviction that you must force your own way.  You let Him make your way, and you begin making the way for others.

Another more traditional way of describing gentleness is being meek and humble.

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased;
and he that shall humble himself
shall be exalted.
- Proverbs 29:23

Wouldn't you rather have God exalt you than you try to exalt yourself?  He "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think!" (Ephesians 3:20).

Though Learning How to be Humble and Meek is not easy in our society, that is why God has given you the Holy Spirit to be your teacher.  

VIII.   Self-Control

 

And because of His glory and excellence,
He has given us great and precious promises.
These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.
-2 Peter 1:4 (NLT)

As Christians, we all have two natures. No matter how holy we think we are, we are still human.  

So, we have our sin nature, and, because of Jesus' sacrifice, we have God's divine nature that we are allowed to share in.  

But, there is an issue.  The two natures don't get along!  "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other." And, if you were working on your own, you would not be able to do the  things of the Spirit, even if you really wanted to (Galatians 5:17 NLT).

But the Holy Spirit has been sent to help you. God tells you to "live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature."   If you live by the Spirit, you will be able to maintain self-control.

What would you look like if you were able to gain self-control through walking in the Holy Spirit?

Would there be less of those moments when you weren't walking in love. Fewer instances when you said something that wasn't kind, and then regretted it. Or less times where you tried to exalt yourself instead of being humble and counting on God to exalt you.  

Allowing God's Spirit to develop this spiritual fruit within you gives you the help you need to walk in all 9 Fruits of the Spirit. No wonder God put it last.

IX.         9 Fruits of the Spirit Bible Scripture Study Reflection Questions:   Have you ever thought that you did not have enough faith for something?  How does it feel to know that developing faith is something the Holy Spirit has been sent to help you with?  Have you ever fallen into the world's trap of feeling like you have to take care of number one?  How can you safeguard yourself from feeling this way, even when you are wronged by those around you? Are there any of the 9 Fruits of the Spirit that you thought would be difficult to develop?  What role do you think developing self-control can play in helping you to develop the others you had been lacking? What do you think are the best ways to develop the 9 Fruits of the Spirit in your own life?