Charity #1-Suffereth Long

Charity suffereth long.

1 Corinthians 13:4a

If you remember from the definition in yesterday's post, Charity is basically love. 

Buuuuttt.... Charity is also basically LOVE IN ACTION.

Charity suffers long. Charity has longsuffering. Charity is PATIENT.

 longsuffering: bearing injuries or provocation for a long time; patient; not easily provoked.

Longsuffering is listed as a fruit of the Spirit...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith... 

Galatians 5:22  

Longsuffering is something that God wants us to put on, along with mercy, kindness, humbleness, meekness, etc.

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; 

Colossians 3:12  

As we saw in the definition above, longsuffering is patience...

We are to FOLLOW AFTER patience...

 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

1 Timothy 6:11

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 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 

James 1:3 

 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 

Romans 5:3 

Patience is one of my very weakest areas. I AM NOT A PATIENT PERSON. <working on it...> I want things NOW. I don't want to wait. I don't want to go through trials and hardships to get what is on the other side. 

But the Bible says that TRIBULATION <hardships> work PATIENCE. One reason we must go through hard times is to simply learn to be patient and long suffering!

  So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: 

2 Thessalonians 1:4

^^^Here Paul commends the Thessalonians for their patience in persecutions and tribulations...

Hebrews 10:36 tells us that there is a reward <promise> when we have patience!

  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

And James 5:11 says that those who ENDURE are HAPPY!!!

 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Lastly, we are reminded to run our race with PATIENCE!

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and

let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 

Hebrews 12:1  

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