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Holy Patience

                It’s easier to notice your lack of patience.  It isn’t as obvious for me to notice when my soul is so connected to Christ that it has been transformed to a place of supernatural patience resulting from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  On those rare occasions that I feel that way, I know I am experiencing holy patience.  I wish I could say that I live in a constant state of holy patience.  I’m glad to have the experience of this intimacy with God that brings out something from me that is better than I am.

                It makes me wonder about my lack of holy patience and why it is still apparent in my life even after I know what it is like to experience what God gives me.  I surprise myself by how cranky I can get about a driver who pushes his way in front of me or a long line at the grocery store.  I wonder why I still let myself get to that state when I know how peaceful and wonderful it is to experience the broken realities of this world with the assurance that God is in control and working in a mighty way, especially in strenuous circumstances.

                But when I have an experience of holy patience both inside and out, it stands out to me.  Other people may think that I am more patient than I am.  It is not true.  I am a calm person by nature and don’t regularly demonstrate my frantic state to others.  That doesn’t mean that I am experiencing holy patience, rather it is evidence of my personality type.  The holy patience I am talking about is experienced by all personality types.  It is a supernatural peace, love and trust in God.   It is what God wants to give to every Christian.

                Jesus described how we can function in the constant state of holiness in John 5:4-6:

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

                I don’t consciously lose touch with the reality of remaining in Jesus as a branch remains in a vine.  It is usually a subconscious effort.  It comes naturally for me to remain in the world, worrying about how I’m going to get it all done or what is going to break next.  All along Jesus calls me to remain in Him and bear fruit supernaturally.  This supernatural fruit shows up as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, and more.

                I like to bear God’s fruit of holy patience.  It is good for the soul. 

Copyright © 2013.  Deborah R. Newman www.teatimeforyoursoul.com  All Rights Reserved.

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