Week 28 | Patience

Supplement your faith with moral excellence, moral excellence with knowledge, knowledge with self-control, self-control with PATIENT endurance, PATIENT endurance with godliness, godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for every one (2 Peter 1:5-7).

Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards of all time, but it has taken him 16 years to make it to his first NBA Finals. He has had to overcome a lot of adversity and difficult situations, including injury, health issues, and bad luck, but he has endured, and he now has a chance to cement his Hall of Fame career with an NBA championship.

When I think of PATIENCE, I think of Chris Paul. PATIENCE in the Bible is defined as the power or capacity to endure something difficult without complaint. I am not saying that Chris Paul has not had his share of complaints, but he has endured, he has kept going, and he is on the brink of his first NBA championship.

James was the half-brother of Jesus. He wrote the book of James. In it, he said, “For examples of PATIENCE in suffering, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. You know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy (James 5:10).”

PATIENCE is not one of my strengths, but it is so important. PATIENCE shows up in many ways, including how we actively wait for our opportunities and how to deal with our teammates.

Like so many superstars before him, including Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul had to keep working and waiting for his opportunity to play in the finals. He had PATIENT endurance. He never let adversity stop him. He never quit. Job and other leaders and prophets in the Bible had to have PATIENT endurance as well. Job lost everything, including his wife and his kids. But he did not quit. He was PATIENT as he endured, and God took care of him in the end. If you are not getting the opportunities that you want, or if things are not going the way you want them to go, or if you are not learning certain things as fast you want or as fast as you think you should keep working and understand how important PATIENCE is.

It is also important to have PATIENCE with your teammates. We are all different and we bring different attributes and gifts to the team. We also bring different personalities and sometimes those personalities clash with each other. I am sure there are times when Chris Paul is upset with teammates for certain shots that they take and for not working as hard as him. As a leader, Chris Paul’s job is to find ways to motivate, inspire, and push his teammates, but as Christian leaders, it is our job to do so the right way and with PATIENCE. Remember, PATIENCE isn’t passive. PATIENCE doesn’t mean to sit back, watch, and wait. PATIENCE means to endure without complaint. Find ways to live and lead through the good times and the bad without complaining or quitting and God will be kind to us and show us his power, grace, and mercy.

We are called to walk in the light of the Lord (Isaiah 2:5). We are also called the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:14-16).

This week, practice PATIENCE. When you face a difficult situation, try not to complain. When you go through something difficult, smile and think about something positive. It changes the chemicals in your brain when you do so. It can change your life, and a small act of PATIENCE with somebody this week might be able to change their life.

This Week

1 – When you face a difficult situation, focus on PATIENCE. Try not to complain and overreact in a negative way. Instead, smile when you face something difficult, and see if that helps you have more PATIENCE.

2 – Be a teammate that people know that they can go to and count on. Be a light and let your good deeds shine out for all to see.

For a Google Doc version, click here: Week 28 Devo | Patience