Are You Patient and Joyful?

Colossians 1:11b speaks of ‘patience with joy’. Being patient is probably one of the most difficult things on earth to the natural man. We have an ‘I want it now and no later than now’ attitude. Technological advances mean that we are able to get things and information by simply clicking a button. Fast food and pre-packaged meals and snacks mean you don’t have to prepare your own meals, you can eat what you want….right now! In many ways, technological advances have made our lives easier. However,  when it comes to Christian living, there is no ‘fast’,  ‘pre-packaged’, or ‘everything is a click away’ deal. As Christians, the Lord wants us to have patience with joy.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

-Colossians 1:11-12,NLT

1. Patience is defined as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.

This is a definition taken from the Oxford dictionary. This definition certainly doesn’t contradict what the scriptures teach. But the scriptures take patience a step further. Not only should we not become annoyed and anxious, but we are also to be joyful. This is what differentiates a child of God from an unbeliever. When Christians are called to be patient, the Bible prescribes a specific mindset that they should have.

    2. Joy is defined as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the  prospect of possessing what one desires.

When we study the definition of joy, it seems quite impossible for one to experience joy and patience simultaneously. Joy and patience appear to be mutually exclusive as they are experienced in completely different circumstances. We have already established that patience is required when we experience delays and problems. But how do you have joy in the midst of that? How do you have joy when in reality your circumstances give you reasons to be anxious and fearful? Patience with joy is not something you can force. Only the Spirit of God can produce them in you. It is impossible for the natural man to cook this up within himself. As a Christian, I believe that you can only have patience with joy by renewing your mind in the word of God as this strengthens your faith and gives you hope. When you set your eyes on Christ and not the situation before you, patience and joy will grow within your heart. We come across scriptures like Psalm 55:22, KJV

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

The promises of God towards us produce patience and joy within us. We don’t have to carry our burdens ourselves (Read I’m Just Tired), we can cast them on our Lord, He will sustain us. Psalm 55:22 shows us that God’s promise to sustain us enables us to be patient as He gives us strength for each day, so we don’t become weary. God’s promise that He will not allow us to be moved is a promise that produces joy in our hearts. 

When it comes to people in the scriptures who demonstrated great patience I can think of no one but Apostle Paul. I think when we read about Apostle Paul the word ‘patience’ isn’t necessarily the word that jumps out at us! The words ‘passion’ ‘energy’ and ‘faith’ may be the words that come to our minds. However, when we take a step back and dig deeper into the word we discover that patience and joy were major characteristics of Paul’s life. In the midst of all the persecutions and trials Paul faced, he demonstrated great patience. He continued to write letters to the people of God while bound in chains, exhorting them to keep loving Jesus. He did not allow shipwreck, beatings, imprisonments and persecution to stop him from preaching the gospel. This takes a great deal of patience. Paul did not become anxious in the midst of the unknown. Instead, he was filled with joy.  Romans 8:35-39, ESV :

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long;  we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How was Paul able to make bold joyful statements in the midst of the unknown?

Philippians 3:13,NKJV Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. 

Paul had patience and joy because God’s promises were always ever before him. He ensured that his emotions were aligned with God’s promise. God is faithful, even when we fail to be patient and joyful. But we only harm ourselves by not being patient and joyful. Like Apostle Paul, let’s strive to grow beyond just anxiously waiting for God to do something and running around while we wait (Running Ahead of God). Let’s wait patiently with joy. This is a higher level. I reiterate, you cannot force yourself to have patience with joy. The Spirit of God must do the work in you. May the Lord help us all.