Harrisonburg First Church of the Nazarene
Today we wrap up our "Relationship Rules" series with the importance of patience in our interactions with others. Thanks for joining in!
Rule #1
When it comes to relationships, it’s not about me.
Rule #2
A relationship is no better than the empathy that people share.
Rule #3
Sin does not just hurt my relationship with God.
Rule #4
People are always asking for your patience, only sometimes with words.
Ephesians 4:1-2 NIV
-Our call to patience in our relationships is essential, but not without it’s challenges
-Specifically, embracing patience in our relationships will challenge us in the following ways:
1. My Timeline (hurry)
"Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.” Dallas Willard
-Busyness has become a badge of honor; for many of us, to be busy is to be important
-Besides the obvious concerns that this culture of hurry is bad for us personally, it is also destructive to our relationships
-To give patience the final word in our relationships means to resist a culture that is overwhelmed with hurry
2. My Power (control)
-We crave control, but on this journey to pursue healthier relationships, we must recognize that we can’t control others
-Paul’s reminder to “be completely humble and gentle” should remind us of the posture of Jesus (Philippians 2)
-Understanding the nuances of the Greek word for patience is important; one scholar defined it as “the power to take revenge, but never doing so"
“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in your mind.” David G. Allen
-You can practice patience, or you can seek control, but you can’t do both
3. My Scorecard (admitting defeat)
-Biblically, we are reminded that “love is patient” and “it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5)
-The power of patience in our relationships is to actually stop keeping score of others’ offenses
-Biblically, patience also encompassed the idea of “long-suffering”, meaning to carry through until the end
-The Spirit that gives us patience does not admit defeat, but persists to the end
Scriptures for further study/reflection:
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV
John 13:34-35 NIV
Matthew 18:21-22 NIV
Galatians 5:22-26 NIV