Fruit of the Spirit: Patience and Kindness | Resources
Sermon Text: Galatians 5:16–24
“I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I am warning you about these things—as I warned you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”
Discussion Questions
1. Define patience as it is used in verse 22.
2. Define kindness as it is used in verse 22.
3. Why do you think patience and kindness make the list of Spirit-empowered fruits? Why does God desire for us to be patient and kind?
4. Share a time God gave you either supernatural patience or kindness.
5. Are you in need of Spirit-produced patience or kindness right now?
Memory Verse
“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Colossians 3:12 (CSB)
Devotional
As a parent, I have had those moments where I told one of my kids to be patient or just wait a little bit longer. Whether it was for a snack or going to the park, kids are ready for things right then. But then it hit me, I’m not very good at being patient either. I can dish out that advice all day to my kids, but pulling out the coat of patience from the wardrobe of my life and putting it on myself, that’s another story. Patience has become that shirt in the back of the closet that hasn’t been touched in a while.
So how can we be more patient? We see it in the list of the fruit of the Spirit, but how do we make progress towards a patient heart?
It’s not about grit, but the gospel.
Paul tells us that patience is a fruit of the Spirit. It’s not a fruit of your grit. So in order to see biblical patience, you must set your eyes to Christ (Colossians 3:2). Your heart must be turning in trust and hope to Him alone.
So, where is your trust today? Where does your hope lie? When you look into the halls of history in the Bible, you see the patient psalms of David or the long-suffering of Job. It wasn’t grit that got them to write about patiently waiting. It was about God’s presence in their lives. So if patience is waning, make a beeline back to the gospel. You could look to your own grit to be more patient, but it will fizzle out. The coat of patience hangs on the hanger of faith. If you feel like patience is really hard to find in your wardrobe, return to the sweetness of the gospel. Your faith in the gospel and your strength by the presence of God will be the only things that fuel your patience.