Suffering Long

"Love can be wronged and wronged and wronged and never wants revenge", says John MacArthur in his sermon on love. 

Oh what an admirable fruit of the spirit, what resilience! Who is capable of that? One who yields to the spirit of God when the circumstance is trying 'beyond limits'. 

It is truly mighty hard to maintain peace in a circumstance that irritates again and again and again and makes one go crazy... It is a golden virtue though and he who can master his attitudes and reactions amidst the craziest of circumstances has great self control.

J.R Miller has this to say about the blessing of patience;

We all need patience. Without it we never really can make anything of our lives. We need it in our homes. The very closeness and familiarity of the family members within our own doors—make it hard at times for us to preserve perfect sweetness of spirit. There is much lack of patience, in most earthly families. We throw off our reserve and our carefulness, and are apt to speak or act disagreeably.

It is easy in the friction that too often is felt in our homes—to lose our patience and speak unadvisedly and unkindly. Such impatient words hurt gentle hearts, sometimes irreparably. But wherever else we may fail in patience—it should not be in our own homes! Only the sweetest life should be lived there. We have not long to stay together—and we should be patient and gentle while we may!

We need the patience of Christ also, in our mingling with others, in our business associations and contacts, in our social relations, and in all our dealings with our neighbors. Not all people are congenial and patient to us. Some want their own way. Some are unreasonable. Some fail to treat us right. Possibly in some cases—the fault may be ours, at least in part. 

Others may sometimes think of us—as we do of them. However this may be, the patience of Christ may teach us to bear with even the most unreasonable people, sweetly and lovingly. He was patient with everyone, and we are to be like Him. If we are impatient with anyone, we fail to be true to the interest of our Master, whom we are always to represent.

1 Corinthians 4:7 "Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud"