Patience Required
We have heard all of the cliché’s and expressions. “Patience is a virtue.” “I want patience, but I want it now.” There are more, but you get the idea.
I have learned three truths concerning patience.
- We want patience.
- We struggle with patience.
- God has something to say about patience.
For growth, patience is needed on an individual, family, and congregational level. Today we will examine one parable and four lessons in order to encourage us to grow even more in our patience.
I encourage you to read Luke 13.6-9. The basic idea is straightforward. A man planted a fig tree and sought fruit for three years, but found none. Instead of cutting it down, the vinedresser encouraged him to wait one more year to provide an opportunity to fertilize and prepare the ground around the tree. Then, if the tree still didn’t produce, it could be cut down. So, what do we learn from patience from this short parable?
First, fruit can sometimes take longer than expected. The man felt like three years was plenty of time, but the vinedresser knew better. He knew the cutoff line had not yet been reached. It is easy to give up too soon. We can do it with personal bible study, evangelism, and Christian service. Maybe none of these things have produced results as you hoped. If you are engaged in the work of the Lord, have patience and trust that God knows best.
Second, plans may need to be tweaked. It is impossible to be an expert and a novice at the same time. If we understand this theoretically, then let’s put it into practice as well. Know that you may have a great idea, but you may need to learn about the application. From the parable, the vinedresser didn’t just advise to wait another year. He had a new strategy to apply for that year. Would it work? Time would eventually tell. Parents may have a difficult time getting their children to engage in a regular family devotional time. Even though the idea of having one may be great, the parents may need to learn how to be more effective at engaging the children. Again, this requires time.
Third, there are times to give up. The tree in the parable may eventually be cut down. Let’s face it, sometimes we do have to give up on something. There may be a church program that sounded great, but never manifested itself into something positive and achieved the desired potential. You may have to end it completely and do something different. Everyone has had dreams that were simply not successful. This doesn’t make someone a failure; it simply means that everyone swings and misses. The hard part is knowing when to walk away and when to be more patient. Unfortunately, we cannot look into the future and know this perfectly. We may guess wrong. My advice is to not give up easily and not give up without considering slight variations that may make a difference.
Fourth, and most importantly, God is patient. There are some very specific applications in the book of Luke that I did not discuss regarding this parable. But here, like so many other places, we see the patience of God. He is not willing to quickly cut down something that is not producing fruit. For most of us, that is a really good thing. Afterall, are you producing fruit as God desires at this very moment? If not, then take a moment to offer gratitude to God right now. He is likely still working with you to be more productive. We also have the realization that God will “cut down” or “throw out” that which does not produce. Just being a Christian is not equivalent to the fruit expressed in similar texts. Instead, it is living the Christian life that demonstrates fruit.
Is it a short parable? Yes. Does it have a powerful and practical message? Yes! Begin today to increase your patience as well as grow in gratitude for God’s patience.