Patience can be a heavy weight

Scripture Read: Rom 15:1-6 Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. 2 Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Application: - There is nothing harder to do sometimes then show patience. The interesting thing about real patience though is that it does not only convey the concept of waiting – yet many times that is all we allow it to mean to us. Notice the synonyms used for this word: endurance; staying power; tolerance; lack of complaint; persistence; fortitude and serenity. This world carries a lot with it. It deserves to be a part of our thought process in this passage. For it was the patience of Christ that led Him to do what He did for us. Patience translates into much more then just waiting - it can even include the idea of carrying someone else's load. Getting involved intimately with a person can be painful & frustrating. If we are truly going to be patient with them – we may be required to do more then just wait for them to come to where they should be. We may have to go to them and help carry their load to where the Lord desires them to be. This is a must in true discipleship. A discipler is not someone that stands by yelling out marching orders to his disciples and expects them to follow. Life is more complicated then that. A discipler will do what is necessary to help his disciple to grow – that patience may mean getting down in the dirt and helping his disciple carry his or her load. It can be a very heavy load, but remember He is there carrying it with us! That soul is worth it! Jesus, thank You for Your patience toward us. Burden us with that same love for others!

* Meditation Questions: Do you get frustrated when other believers do not seem to grow as fast as you think they should? When you see someone struggling with a sin what do you feel? What does that say? When someone uses the excuse that something is too hard for them, what do you feel? What does that say?