Persevering with Patience
Quarter 4 Unit 2 Lesson 6
Romans 12:9-12; Colossians 3:1-17; James 1:1-8
Unit 2 Lesson 6
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Life can be difficult. When we face trials, it may seem easier—even better— to give up. Sometimes we may feel that we have waited long enough for our suffering to end. We may feel like we’re doing everything we can to survive. But in our situations of greatest pain, we learn new things. When we get to the point of physical or emotional exhaustion, we learn to lean more on the Lord and rely on His strength.
As you face new challenges, be patient. Watch as God develops new strengths in you. As you press on toward the goal, remember His faithfulness. Put your trust in Jesus, who can help you to forget what lies behind. As you strain toward what is ahead, hold on to His promises. Focus your eyes on the One who calls us onward and heavenward and draws us closer to Him. He will give you the patience to persevere in even the most difficult situations.
During this lesson we will look at the letters of Paul, and in particular a section of his letter to the believers in Colossae. In Paul’s letters he is usually doing one of three things, and often he manages to do all three in the same paragraph or even the same sentence. Those three things are educating, exhorting, and encouraging.
With new believers with Gentile backgrounds such as those of Colossae, he often was in the position of clarifying how living a Christian life was different from both the worldly way of living and also from Jewish traditions. Paul wanted to encourage these relatively young churches and help them feel united to one another and to the larger body of Christ.
All of the various groups of Christians at this time would have faced different struggles depending on where they lived and who they were, but the whole body of Christ faced persecution under the rule of the emperor at the time, Nero, who was known to be cruel and murderous. Nero blamed the famous fire of Rome on Christians and had Christians tortured, mocked, and executed.
In this context, Paul’s command to be “patient in affliction” (Romans 12:12) certainly takes on new meaning, but it’s also important to note that much of what he says in these letters is meant to help unify and solidify the practices and beliefs that were becoming known among all people as Christianity.
By doing so, he was accomplishing the goal of helping them to be assured of their own salvation but also to present an image of strength, wisdom, and unity to those around them who were not believers yet.
In our last session, we started talking about this idea of perseverance, and we focused on the life of Joseph.
What were some of the things that Joseph persevered through?
- Joseph was hated and excluded by his brothers
- He was thrown into a pit
- He was sold into slavery
- He had lies told about him
- He was put into prison several times.
Life at times for Joseph was just plain awful. But he kept going with the help of God, and through his experiences he learned humility and patience.
How would you define patience?
When you think of a patient person, who comes to mind? What do they do
that shows patience?
Some people seem naturally to have an easier time being patient than others. But none of us is born with patience. If you’ve ever been around a baby, you know this. When a baby is hungry, that food had better come fast or a crying fit erupts! We learn patience through being forced to wait for things and being taught how to wait without getting angry or annoyed.
The Holy Spirit can also teach us patience and help us to cultivate that quality.You may remember that patience, also sometimes referred to as long suffering, is listed in Galatians 5 as one of the fruit of the Spirit.
But if you try looking in the Bible for examples of or teachings about patience, you’ll find there’s a lot written on this topic. As we dig into some of these verses now, keep thinking about how patience helps us persevere, and how perseverance helps us to develop and practice patience.
James, a brother of Jesus, wrote a message of wisdom, which he addressed mainly to Jewish Christians who had been “scattered among the nations” (v. 1) outside of Israel.
Let’s read James 1:2-4:
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James goes on to say that if anyone is lacking anything that will help them be mature in their faith, in particular, wisdom, that the person should ask God, “who gives generously to all without finding fault” (v. 5).
What perspective does James ask his readers to take about having trouble in their lives?
What is the result of letting perseverance “finish its work”?
Patience is certainly part of being a mature and complete person. If you don’t have patience, who could give it to you?
Patience is something we learn through the experience of persevering through troubles, especially troubles that go on for a long time. But patience is also something we can ask God to provide for us.
Patience comes through an attitude of humility. One of the reasons people get impatient is because they feel entitled:
- This thing should be happening faster.
- I should be getting this result because I have done this or because I am me.
Being made to wait for anything is a humbling experience. It makes you realize that you are not in charge of everything and that others might be more important than you.
In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul gives his listeners a charge to act in such a way as to be a living sacrifice, offering up their whole selves—body, mind, and spirit—to God’s will. In chapter 12, he tells them how to be good
servants in the body of Christ and not to think of themselves as being higher than others.
Let’s read what he goes on to say in Romans 12:9-12 and then we’ll talk about it:
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
What is the form of Paul’s sentences here? Is he making statements or asking questions or what?
Paul tells his listeners to keep their spiritual fervor in serving God. What three things does he then command them to be?
We should be joyful in our hopeful situations, be patient when we experience trials, and faithful to pray about everything. The way we behave in our everyday lives is a way we show our belief in Christ, but it is also a way we can care for others.
How we act toward others and how we react to life’s situations has an effect on the people around us.
Think about it. What would be the opposite of:
- honoring one another above yourselves?
- being joyful in hope
- being patient in affliction
- being faithful in prayer?
As you probably could guess by now, Paul has a lot to say about what it looks like to live as a follower of Christ.
Let’s switch to another one of his letters that appears a little ways past Romans in the New Testament. This letter came from Paul and Timothy and was written to the believers in Colossae, which was a city in what is now known as Turkey.
Let’s look at Colossians 3:1-4:
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Right before these words, in chapter 2, Paul had been encouraging the Colossians to not be concerned with people who wanted to judge them or their faith by human-created rules about what to eat or drink or which festivals to celebrate and so forth.
Apparently these new believers had been getting confused by and caught up in the criticisms coming from others, and Paul wanted to set them straight.
Why is it important as a Christ-follower to set your heart on “things above”?
How do you do that?
Paul then goes on to urge the Colossians to “put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature,” and he lists sinful attitudes and actions that represent their former way of life, before knowing Christ and accepting His salvation.
Among those things were “anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language” (v. 8)—all of which also happen to be things that sometimes appear when people get irritated and impatient with others or with their circumstances.
*Let’s read 3:12-14:
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Some people might think that bearing, forgiving, and loving sound too soft or weak. What kind of strength is needed to do these things?
What kind of power is needed to be able to remain patient during trials instead of being annoyed or flying into a rage?
It’s worth remembering that Paul is talking to the Colossians, to believing Christians, to encourage them on how to behave among the body of believers.
Let’s read 3:15-17:
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Doing everything, whether in word or deed, in the name of the Lord Jesus sounds like a huge challenge to me. And yet, that is exactly what we are called to do as Christians.
God can use your difficult circumstances to strengthen you. If you ask for His help, He will walk with you through your challenges and hardships. Sometimes we cannot see the good in our situations until we slowly learn and grow.
Perseverance begins with the small things today and continues with the small things tomorrow. Before you realize it, you’ve developed a quality you didn’t know was possible.
Before you head out this week, let me offer this blessing based on Romans 12:12:
Prayer
May God help you to be faithful in prayer and persevere in your difficulties. May you have hope, knowing that He is always patient, always strong, and always good. May you be joyful in the hope that comes from persevering. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Reminders for you: