Patience, Humility, and Hope
I was asked by someone today what it means to have true patience, true humility, and true hope. What does it look like? In writing… in words… and in our daily lives? I do not profess to be a scholar or to know the answers. As a fallen human being, I do not believe that I will ever truly know what it means or be able to truly live it out in my life. I believe in God’s sovereignty and perfection - and He is the only One who can demonstrate true patience, humility, and hope. But in the Scriptures, we are called to be like Christ and to immitate his virtues. So what does that look like in our daily walks with God? I would love to know what you think…
So what does it mean to have patience?
What does it mean to have true humility before man and before God?
What is hope… what does it mean to have true hope?
Read Galatians 5:16-26… it says, “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 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, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this 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. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
Published on 4 Jan 2007 at 1:04 pm.
7 Comments.
Filed under Real Life Issues.
‘we are more wicked than we ever realised, but we are more LOVED than we ever dreamed.’ a good one for humility.
Amy Mulholland on 5 Jan 2007 at 9:44 am.
Dallas Willards book The Devine Conspiracy is a good place to start looking for a very well articulated understanding of True Spirituality. Francis Schaeffer is also a good place to go and seek wisdom in a book by the same name.
Lauri Moyle on 6 Jan 2007 at 12:01 pm.
A good quote that I know that seems to fit in here is that “We are not sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners.” Be honest with yourself, there in no way that we as humans can have true patience, humility and hope. - it is through God that we can acchieve even something remotely close to such actions. - yet only God himself will ever have TRUE patience, humility, and Hope. - Looking at the world around us you can see that it is all for nothing if you don’t have Christ.
You’re right, we are Fallen Human Beings, and Christ is the only one that could ever pick us back up.
Katilyn Donovan on 10 Jan 2007 at 6:15 pm.
The first thing I thought of when you mentioned these three is Romans 5:1-5: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perserverance, and perserverance character; and character hope. Now, hope does not dissapoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us (NKJV) also, Phillipians 2:5-8, 2:17, 2:1-4 (NKJV)
Kris on 10 Jan 2007 at 10:26 pm.
That is so true, that our sin leaves us in a broken condition where our spirit, as Paul states, is in conflict with sin(Galations 5:16-20). But here is our hope: “you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). And with that radical truth in mind, let us, therefore, live our every breath for our Love and Savior. Let us daily sacrifice our own hopes and desires so that our only Hope can bring light to a dark and hopeless world. “Those who look to him are radiant, their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5)
Lauren on 11 Jan 2007 at 10:04 pm.
You are so right we will never know true hope and Perfection! I believe only through the one who is our only hope can we place our hope! His name is Jesus Christ he is what you call true perfection! My pastor talked about how none are righteous no not one truly seek God all have fallen astray! Yet hes says how then can we inherit the kingdom of God if only the righteous go there. Then he brought up Pauel in the Bible who said I am crucified with Christ neverthless I live but not I but Christ in me. I have my flesh, but Christ is in me I have everything I need in Christ! We inherit heaven only because of the grace of accepting Christ and having faith in him, and using that faith to live for him!
Justin on 24 Jan 2007 at 10:52 am.
my Apostle likes to say: “no matter how we humans may change Jesus remains the same. Because He has remained like this centuries before we were on earth and will surely remain the same when we were gone. He is not prone to outside influences and does not compromise to please anybody.For He is not a respecter of men.”
Anele on 2 Apr 2007 at 8:28 am.