08/28/2026
One of the best parts of working out of the coffee shop here locally is that I have been able to build close relationships with so many of the other regulars. Two of these are Rich and his son Will. I have a lot in common with them both, and it has led to all kinds of conversations. Obviously, we all love coffee, we all love baseball, but most of all we all love the Lord. Both Rich and Will are devout believers, and we spend a good amount of time talking about faith, theology, and things that pertain to our spiritual walk nearly every day that we see each other at some point. Such was the case yesterday, which brings us our lesson for this week.
Rich called me over from my table, and I made my way over to visit with him for a few moments. “I thought I should share this with you, because I knew you would appreciate it,” he said. With this, he adjusted his glasses and began reading the following statement off of his phone screen, “Patience with yourself is hope. Patience towards others is love. Patience towards God is faith.” I stood there listening intently and thinking through each of these statements as he read them off. Wow. What a profound saying this was. Not only was it easy to remember and recite, but it is exactly what we are to understand regarding patience in our own lives.
I grabbed my coffee from my table next to theirs and stood discussing and contemplating this a great amount. As we discussed further, I looked at Rich and I said, “You know, I think you might have just provided me with the material we need for our podcast tomorrow.” He laughed and said he was happy to help before we returned to our own work for the rest of the day. Throughout the day I kept thinking about this golden nugget of a saying, and how Scripture teaches each of these concepts in different ways.
Patience With Yourself is Hope:
We are broken people, aren’t we? Each of us came from the same sinful roots, desperately in need of salvation that we could not accomplish of our own means alone. We needed Jesus. He interceded for us and purchased us with his blood, and those who have turned to him in faithful obedience now stand justified before him. But that doesn’t mean we look exactly like Jesus right off the bat. In fact, our journey of sanctification is a lifelong process – and that can be frustrating at times, can’t it? We want to grow. We want to be mature in all things now! And yet growth takes time, and for that we need patience. We read in Romans 5:2-5,
“We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Our walk of faith is not easy; we must overcome many trails and temptations. But when we exercise patience with ourselves and allow God to continue to mold us and shape us as our character is proven and tested, it produces hope within us. Hope that God will bring to completion what he started. Hope that each day we will look a little less like the old me and a little more like Jesus. Hope that we can be holier, more mature, and wiser each and every day that we walk in step with the Spirit – all while exercising even with ourselves one of the fruits of the Spirit: patience.
Patience With Others is Love:
Exercising patience towards ourselves as we grow and mature is perhaps much more natural than other areas we are called to show patience – such as in as much as we extend it to others. Can we be brutally honest for a moment? Showing patience to others is hard. Very hard. People do dumb things, say dumb things, and often times they should know better! Their bad decisions impact others in negative ways, even ourselves. How can we learn to show patience towards others given these truths? When we remember that God has exercised the same patience through his love towards us. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13 that love is patient. That patience through love is on display from the Father towards us. We know better, and yet sometimes we say dumb things, do dumb things. And yet God is patient towards us. Paul ties God’s patience with us to our patience with others in Colossians 3:12-13:
“Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.”
God has shown us forbearance, patience, and forgiveness in all things. If he has extended such love towards us, we must learn to extend that same love through patience towards others too. To quote an old favorite song of mine, “The thing I find most amazing with amazing grace is the chance to give it out…maybe that’s what love is all about.”
Patience Toward God is Faith:
God’s time is not our time. We want things done a certain way in our time, but that is not wisdom. It is foolish to think that we know best, foolish to trust in our own way or our own timing. We must learn to trust God and wait for him patiently as we submit to his will and his timing. We read in Psalm 37:5-6,
“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act, making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday. Be silent before the LORD and wait expectantly for him.”
Similar to the words of the Proverb writer, we must not lean on our own understanding. Instead, when we exercise patience and wait for the Lord, we grow in our faith and trust in him. It is then, and only then, that he will make our pathway straight. If we want to grow in our faith, it’s going to require our willingness to wait on the Lord. To be faithful as we patiently wait for God to act through seasons of our lives that if feels like God is silent. But my friends, we must never mistake what we interpret as God’s silence as apathy or inattentiveness. God is working, even when we can’t see it. God cares, even when it doesn’t feel like he does. God’s way is best, even when we don’t fully comprehend it in our limited capacity. We need to be patient. We need to show faith.
So, my friends, stand firm in faith. Show patience. Wait on the Lord. Trust in him, and he will act with strong support to those whose heart is blameless towards him.
A good friend called me over at the coffee shop and shared the following saying with me: Patience with yourself is hope. Patience with others is love. Patience toward God is faith. These are all biblical truths and important for us to conside...
