Title
The Blessings of Patience
Scripture
I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.
(Genesis 31:41)
Devotional
The apostle James says, “You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord---that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”(1) Jacob likewise demonstrated patience with regard to his dealings with Laban for his daughter Rachel. In like manner, as God was to Job, He was compassionate and merciful toward Jacob. Those twenty years gave him eleven sons, a beautiful daughter and great wealth. And God will be compassionate and merciful to you and me when we endure with the same patience. The apostle John tells us in the book of Revelation what that patience looks like: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”(2) I am not by nature a patient man, nevertheless, by the grace of God, I can choose to be and so can you. The greatest mistakes I have made in life are the decisions made impatiently; the greatest blessings have come with patience.
(1) James 5:11, (2) Revelation 14:12
Text For The Day
Genesis 31:41: “I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times.”
Thought For The Day
“He is not truly patient who will suffer only as much as he pleases or from whom he pleases. A truly patient man gives no heed from whom he suffers, whether from his superior or from his equal or from someone below him.” Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ (1426).
Questions To Ponder
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The problem with patience is that we cannot see its outcome during its demands. Sometimes we can. What did Jacob see during his 20 years under Laban?
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What were some of the additional benefits in his service? For example, it gave Esau time to prosper and for his wrath to cool.
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How has patience served you? Are you in a time of patience?
Morning Study Guide
Definition: Patience is the virtuous ability to remain the same and the willingness to accept delay.
Reference: “By your patience possess your souls,” Luke 21:19
Application: Be as patient with others as God has been patient with you.