What Is Longsuffering?
By: Dr. Mike Jones
Technically speaking, it’s one of the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22. It simply means to display PATIENCE and to ENDURE hardships – whether physical or emotional. That’s why the correspondent Gift of the Spirit is HEALING.
Long suffering is a sign of Spiritual Maturity (You’re NOT running out of patience). The Apostle Paul stated in 2Thessalonians 1:4 – So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: What Paul is saying is that not only are we hearing about your faith in trying times, but traveling missionaries are talking about YOU too, wherever they travel. The patience you’re showing is a result of the “HOPE” you have in the Kingdom of God. And the tribulations (pressures) the Jews are putting on you, I marvel how you’re enduring. He told Timothy Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. It simply means, take your share of suffering like a true soldier in God’s army.
One of the Characteristics of God. Joe 2:13 – And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness…; Isa 30:18 – And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him. [And there is an Old Testament scripture (paraphrased) that says, “The judgment wheel of God grinds low but of a surety.” This is an attribute of long suffering.
Long suffering is a quality should be exhibited when someone offends us or does something wrong to us – this is when love of Christ really shines through when you can forgive. It also affects the attitude of the person that offended.
Long suffering requires us to pray and intercede for the offender to repent, regret and to be restored and to be reconciled both with God and ourselves, you’re patiently willing to wait for the change to take place in the other person’s life. In Eze 36:26 – God said, A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
WHY SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE LONG SUFFERING?
Because it’s one of the greatest Commandment of God to us to love our neighbor. Matt 5:44 – Jesus said, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;[This is saying, as true disciple, you’re obligated to show God’s love to a person in spite of how YOU feel. Etc.
Because God expects us to be Spiritually Mature and to be like Him. Romans 8:29 – says, For whom He [God] did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son … In 1Corinthians 15:49 – And as we have borne the image of the earthy [Adam’s nature], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly [Christ’s nature]. And in Philippians 1:6 – Paul said, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
HOW DO WE MANIFEST LONG SUFFERING?
One way is by NOT carrying our EMOTIONS & ATTITUDES on our shoulders – being easily offended, knowing when to GET OVER A THING.
Another way is studying Biblical characters that exercised long suffering. One that comes to mind is the father of the Prodical son.
Another way is by Interceding for every sinner to repent and to be reconciled with God and the one offended by them.
Of course, the most important way is by exercising the AGAPE [God kind of] LOVE in every situation. We need to be compassionate and understanding of others. Compassionate simply means “awareness of the suffering of others.”
The value of compassion cannot be overemphasized. Anyone can criticize. It takes a true leader to show compassion. Many of the people that we are ministering to are hurting people. Ministers are often of the mistaken opinion that the greatest hurt of this generation is the result of sins, such as drugs, alcohol or the like. Actually, no greater burden can be borne by an individual than to know no one cares. Most people who come to our churches are hungry for care and compassion from someone, anyone. (You’ve heard me say over and over that Bishop exemplifies this type of compassionate and that’s what draws people to the ministry of Free Gospel.]
In my conclusion: God doesn’t ask us to do something we can’t do. He instructs us to be longsuffering because we said we want to be like His Son (Jesus) and Jesus said He only does the things His Father does.. LONGSUFFERING is a major attribute of God (Exodus 34:6 “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth”) (Numbers 14:18 “The LORD [is] longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generations”) (Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”) (1 Peter 3:20 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”)
(Adapted from LongSuffering; all Scripture references are taken from the KJV unless otherwise noted.)