From the Heart by B.Demaere

  “ But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us ] is love [unselfish concern for others],   joy [inner] peace , patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting],” (Galatians 5:22) This time let us look at the outcome of God’s presence within us.   Whenever we see the fruit of the Spirit we see the evidence of God’s presence.   The fruit and the presence go hand in hand. This is an online quote from www.machammond.org : “If you are like most believers, you probably cringe when you hear the word “patience.   To most Christians, being patient means gritting your teeth and hanging on by your toenails in hopes things will eventually get better.   We think it means, hang on until the bitter end or until Jesus comes back, whatever comes first. If you have been reluctant to ask for patience, I’ve got news for you today.   That’s not what the Bible means when it talks about being patient.   Bible patie...

  As I was being tested, patience was required, and I was waiting with much complaining.   Then my wife encouraged me to read the Fruit of the Spirit out of the Amplified version of the Bible.   So, I did and here it is: “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others],   joy [inner] peace , patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting],   kindness, goodness,   faithfulness,   gentleness,   self-control.   Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) These verses not only apply to us as we go through our daily life but especially as we wait for the Lord’s return.   How we act while we wait for him does matter and it is very important.   We learn as we go through trials.   For a lot of people, the word “patience” is not welcome in their vocabulary, and I can tell by my own life I am not the only one who finds it diff...