Long-Suffering Helps Us To Endure

Long-Suffering helps us to endure trying situations that seem endless or without any quick solution. This was true of Regis, mentioned at the outset. For years, his wife opposed his efforts to serve Jehovah. However, one day she came to him in tears and said: " I know it's the truth. Help me. I want a Bible study." She was eventually baptized as a Witness. Regis says: "This proved that Jehovah blessed those years of struggle, patience and endurance." His long-suffering was rewarded.

Back in the first century C.E., the apostle Paul was a fine example of long-suffering. (2Corinthians 6:3-10; 1 Timothy1:16) Toward the end of his life when he was giving counsel to his younger companion Timothy, Paul warned him that all Christians would face trials. Paul cited his own example and recommended basic Christian qualities that are necessary for endurance. He wrote: " You have closely followed my teaching, my course of life, my purpose, my faith, my long-suffering, my love, my endurance, my persecutions, my sufferings, the sort of things that happened to me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra, the sort of persecutions I have borne; and yet out of them all the Lord delivered me. In fact, all those desiring to live with Godly devotion in association with Christ Jesus will also be persecuted." (2TImothy3:10-12; Acts 13:49-51; 14:19-22) In order to endure, we all need faith, love and long-suffering.

Next time: Clothed With Long-Suffering

"Love Is Long-Suffering"

Paul showed that a special relationship exists between love and long-suffering when he stated: "Love is long-suffering." (1 Corinthians 13:4) One Bible scholar, Albert Barnes, suggests that Paul emphasized this in view of the contention and strife that existed in the Christian congregation in Corinth. (1 Corinthians 1:11,12) Barnes points out: "The word here used [for long-suffering] is opposed to haste: To passionate espressions and thoughts, and to irritability. It denotes the state of mind which can bear long when oppressed and provoked." Love and long-suffering still contribute greatly to the peace of the Christian congregation.

"Love is long-suffering and kind. Love...does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked." Hence, in many ways, love helps us to be long-suffering. (1Corinthians 13:4,5) Love enables us patiently to put up with one another and remember that we are all imperfect and have faults and failings. It helps us to be considerate and forgiving.

The apostle Paul encourages us to walk "with complete lowliness of mind and mildness, with long-suffering, putting up with one another in love, earnestly endeavoring to observe the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace." -Ephesians 4:1-3. .

Long-suffering on the part of their members contributes to the peace and happiness of Christian communities, whether congregations, Bethel homes, missionary homes, construction teams, or schools. Because of differences in personality, tastes, upbringing, standards of politeness, even hygiene, trying situations can arise from time to time. This is also true of families. Being slow to anger is vital. (Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; 19:11) Long-suffering-patient endurance, in the hope of a change for the better - is needed on the part of all.- Romans 15:1-6.

Next time: Long-Suffering Helps Us To Endure

A Fruit Of The Spirit

In the 5th chapter of his letter to the Galatians, Paul contrasts works of the flesh with the fruitage of the spirit. (Galatians, 5:19-23) Since long-suffering is one of Jehovah's attributes, this quality originates with him and is a fruit of his spirit. (Exodus 34:6, 7) Indeed, long-suffering is listed fourth in Paul's description of the fruitage of the spirit, along with "love, joy, peace,.... kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control." (Galatians 5:22, 23) Therefore, when God's servants manifest godly patience, or long-suffering, they do so under the influence of the holy spirit.

This does not mean, however, that Jehovah imposes his spirit upon a person. We must willingly yield to its influence. (2 Corinthians 3:17; Ephesians 4:30)We allow the spirit to act in our lives by cultivating its fruits in all we do. After enumerating the works of the flesh and the fruitage of the spirit, Paul added: "If we are living by spirit, let us go one walking orderly also by spirit, Do not be misled: God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; Because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but he who is sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit." (Galatians 5:25; 6:7, 8)

If we are to be successful in cultivating long-suffering, we must also cultivate the
rest of the fruitage produced in Christians by holy spirit.

Next time: "Love Is Long-Suffering"

Christ's Example Of Long-Suffering

Second only to Jehovah, Christ Jesus set a fine example of long-suffering. When under duress, Jesus showed astonishing restraint. Of him it was prophesied: " He was hard pressed, and he was letting himself be afflicted; yet he would not open his mouth. He was being brought just like a sheep to the slaughtering; and like a ewe that before her shearers has become mute, he also would not open his mouth." -Isaiah 53:7.

What remarkable long-suffering Jesus showed throughout his ministry on earth! He endured the treacherous questions of his enemies and the insults of his opposers. (Matthew 22:15-46; 1Peter 2:23) He was patient with all his disciples, even when they continually quarreled over who was the greatest. (Mark 9:33-37; 10:35-45; Luke 22:24-27) And what admirable restraint Jesus showed on the night of his betrayal when Peter and John fell asleep after being told to "keep on the watch"! - Matthew 26:36-41.

After his death and resurrection, Jesus continued to be long-suffering. The apostle Paul was particularly conscious of this, since he had formerly been a persecutor of Christians. Paul wrote: " Faithful and deserving of full acceptance is the saying that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am foremost. Nevertheless, the reason why I was shown mercy was that by means of me as the foremost case Christ Jesus might demonstrate all his long-suffering for a sample of those who are going to rest their faith on him for everlasting life." (1Timothy 1:15, 16) Whatever our past, if we rest our faith on Jesus, he will be long-suffering with us- while, of course, expecting us to produce "works that befit repentance." (Acts 26:20; Romans 2:4) The messsages that was sent to the seven congregations in Asia Minor show that while he is long-suffering, he does expect progress.- Revelation, chapters 2 and 3.

Next time: A Fruit Of The Spirit

' Clothe Yourselves With Long-Suffering'

Regis, who lives in southwestern France, became a baptized Witness of Jehovah in 1952. For years his wife did all she could to hinder his efforts to serve Jehovah. She tried to puncture the tires of his vehicle to prevent him from attending meetings, and on one occasion she even followed him as he preached the Bible message from door to door, making fun of him as he spoke to householders about the good news of the Kingdom. In spite of this constant opposition, Regis contiued to be long suffering. Thus, Regis is a fine example for all Christians, since Jehovah requires all his worshipers to be long-suffering in their dealings with others.

The Greek word for "long-suffering" literally means "longness of spirit." The English New World Translation ten times renders this word "long-suffering," three times "patience," and once "exercising of patience." Both the Hebrew and Greek expressions translated "long-suffering include the thought of patience, forbearance and slowness to anger.

Long-suffering was not viewed as a virtue by the Greeks of the first century. The word itself was never used by the Stoic philosophers. According to Bible scholar William Barclay, long-suffering "is the very opposite of Greek virtue," which vaunted among other things "the refusal to tolerate any insult or injury." He states: " to the Greek the big man was the man who went all out for vengeance.

To the Christian the big man is the man who, even when he can, refuses to do so." The Greeks may have considered long-suffering to be a sign of weakness, but here, as in other cases, "a foolish thing of God is wiser than men, and a weak thing of God is stronger than men." - 1 Corinthians 1:25.

A Carrot, An Egg And A Cup OF Coffee
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again...

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her into the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first pot, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished out the carrots and placed them in a bowl. Then she pulled out the eggs and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." " Carrots, eggs and coffee, she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. Then the mother asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.


Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "what does it mean?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity...boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

Which are you?" She asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?
Think of this: Which am I?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worse, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

Also, one very important thing to remember: " God will never throw any more obstacles at you that you can handle. He knows you emotionally, mentally and physically and in every other way possible and he loves those who love him and serve him faithfully and he knows how much heartache we can take and how much we can't take, so he will not put more upon us than we can stand." Anyone who practices wicked ways, he detests.

Jehovah's Long-Suffering Works For Salvation
From mankind's original calamitous fall into sin up until now, Jehovah has shown himself to be a long-suffering God. His long-suffering before the Flood allowed time for due warning to be given and a means of salvation to be built. But his patience reached a limit, and the Flood came. Similarly today, Jehovah is showing great long-suffering, and this is lasting longer than some may have anticipated. However, that is no reason to give up. To do so would be tantamount to criticizing God for being long-suffering. Paul asked: " Do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and long-suffering, because you do not know that the kindly quality of God is trying to lead you to repentance?" - Romans 2:4.
None of us can know the full extent to which we need God's long-suffering to make sure that we have his approval for salvation. Paul counsels us to "keep working out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling." (Philippians 2:12) The apostle Peter wrote to fellow Christians: "Jehovah is not slow respecting his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9.
Hence, let us not be impatient with Jehovah's way of handling matters. Rather, let us flooow Peter's further counsel and consider the patience o f our Lord as salvation."
Whose salvation? Ours and, by extension, that of countless others who still need to hear the "good news of the kingdom." (2 Peter 3:15; Matthew 24:14) This will help us to appreciate the rich generosity of Jehovah's long-suffering and move us to be long-suffering in our dealings with others.

Long-Suffering For The Sake Of His Name

Why does Jehovah exercise long-suffering? Primarily in order to magnify his holy name and vindicate his sovereignty. (1Samuel 12:20-22) The moral issue raised by Satan over the way Jehovah uses his sovereignty required time to be settled satisfactorily before all creation. (Job 1:9-11; 42:2, 5, 6)

Hence, when his people were being oppressed in Egypt, Jehovah told Pharaoh: "For this cause I have kept you in existence, for the sake of showing you my power and in order to have my name declared in all the earth." - Exodus 9:16.

Jehovah's words to Pharaoh were quoted when the apostle Paul explained the role of God's long-suffering in the glorification of His holy name. And then Paul wrote : "If, now, God, although having the will to demonstrate his wrath and to make his power known, tolerated with much long-suffering vessels of wrath made fit for destruction, in order that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory, namely us whom he called not only from among the Jews but also from among the nations, what of it? It is as he says also in Hosea: " Those not my people I will call "my people." (Romans 9:17, 22-25)

Because Jehovah exercised long-suffering, he was able to take out the nations "a people for his name." (Acts 15:14) Under their Head, Jesus Christ, these "holy ones" are heirs of the Kingdom that Jehovah will use to sanctify His great name and to vindicate his sovereignty. - Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14, 27; Revelation 4:9-11; 5:9, 10.

Next time: Jehovah's Long-Suffering Works For Salvation

Jehovah's Long-Suffering Not Lost

History shows, however, that God's long-suffering has a limit. In 740 B.C.E., he allowed the Assyrians to overthrow the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel and lead its inhabitants into exile. (2 Kings 17:5, 6) And at the end of the following century, he permitted the Babylonians to invade the two-tribe kingdom of Judah and destroy Jerusalem with its temple. - 2 Chronicles 36:16-19.

Even while executing his judgments against Israel and Judah, however, Jehovah did not forget to be long-suffering. By means of his prophet Jeremiah, Jehovah foretold a restoration of his chosen people. He said: "In accord with the fulfilling of seventy years at Babylon I shall turn my attention to you people, and I will establish toward you my good word in bringing you back to this place. And I will let myself be found by you...And I will gather your body of captives and collect you together out of all the nations and out of all the places to which I have dispersed you." -Jeremiah 29:10-14.

A remnant from among the exiled Jews did indeed return to Judah and revive the worship of Jehovah at the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. In the outworking of Jehovah's purposes, this remnant would become like "dew from Jehovah," which brings refreshment and prosperity. They would also be courageous and strong like "a lion among the beasts of a forest." (Micah 5:7, 8 ) This latter expression may have been fulfilled during the Maccabean period when the Jews under the family of the Maccabees expelled their enemies from the Promised Land and rededicated the temple, which had been defiled. Thus the land and the temple were preserved so that another faithful remnant would be able to welcome the Son of God when he appeared there as the Messiah. - Daniel 9:25; Luke 1:13-17, 67:-79; 3:15, 21, 22.

Even after the Jews had slain his Son, Jehovah continued to show them long-suffering for a period of three and a half more years, granting them the exclusive opportunity of being called to become a part of the spiritual seed of Abraham. (Daniel 9:27) Before and after the year 36C.E., some Jews accepted this call, and thus, as Paul later put it, "a remnant has turned up according to a choosing due to undeserved kindness." -Romans 11:5.

In 36C.E., The privilege of becoming a part of Abraham's spritual seed was extended for the first time to those who were neither Jews or proselytes. Any who responded also became recipients of Jehovah's undeserved kindness and long-suffering. (Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 2:4-7) Expressing deep appreciation for the wisdom and purpose behind Jehovah's merciful long-suffering, through which he produces the total number of those called to complete spiritual Israel, Paul exclaimed: "O the depth of God's riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments are and past tracing out his ways are!" - Romans 11:25, 26, 33; Galatians 6:15, 16.