Patience also has the meaning of ‘long-suffering’ - just enduring people's difficult circumstances, and difficult people, and never giving up on anyone. Again, long-suffering is a fruit of the spirit, as we yield to the Holy Spirit. The opposite of that is impatience. “Love is patient, love is long-suffering…” God perseveres with us with all our little glitches, and ups and downs, because He loves us, and that's His character.
Hebrews 10:35-36 – “Don't cast away your confidence, which has great reward. You need endurance, so that after you've done the will of God, you may receive the promise”.
Of course, patience is developed in our life through adversity.
James 1:2 – “Count it all joy when you face trials or tribulations, or temptations or adversity, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience; and patience, when it's had its complete work, makes you perfect and mature”.
He's saying then, to Christians, that the testing of your faith, when circumstances don't seem good and favourable, when God doesn't seem to be coming through, when there's opposition, when there's difficulties, he says: still, stay positive that God is in this all, because in doing that, you develop the quality of patience; and when you develop patience, you grow, and become mature, and complete in everything.
This is a very important quality to develop in your life: stickability, never quit, keep going. Just persevere in faith, keep going - everything around you is temporary, it comes to end, but God continues. Whatever you're going through, it has an expiry date on it. You may not know the expiry date, but it does end; you've just got to persevere, and if you will persevere, with the right attitude, trusting God, then He uses it all for your good.
5) “…to patience, add godliness”. Godliness means literally a fear, and a respect (or reverence), for God. It's a reverence, and respect, and fear of the Lord. It's a deep awareness, that the honour and the glory belong to God, and He will call all of us to account.
Everyone must give account, so when there's godliness in our life it means a deep respect for God, and respect for His authority; and therefore, a respect for other authorities, because all authority come from God.
Godliness always shows up in the way you live - clean living; and with a respect for authority. You find with someone that has a lack of respect for authority, they've got a godliness issue. There's something missing in their life, and they can never be great in the kingdom, because to be great in the kingdom I need to be a man under authority. There's a big difference between a man under grace (depending on God to cover all his mistakes), and a man under authority, who intentionally submits to God's order, and honours those over him. To operate in the kingdom, we need the fear, and respect, of God.
6) “…brotherly kindness”. Practice being kind to people. Brotherly kindness means love and kindness to the brethren, or to fellow Christians. It manifests itself in our words, the way you speak, how you treat people; and it manifests in acts of generosity and care.
Kindness shows up in how you treat people; and obviously, the best way to build great relationships, is to be kind to people. When you are kind to people, they respond. It's just it's a winner, being kind to people. Many people don't deserve you being kind, but we show kindness anyway, because that is the fruit of the spirit. It is a fruit of the spirit. Kindness comes when you yield to the spirit, when you're provoked. Instead of reacting, and showing unkindness, you show kindness to people - even when they don't deserve it.
An example of that is Jonathan. He developed kindness towards David; and David himself developed kindness towards Jonathan's family.
Proverbs 19:22 – “The quality to be desired in men is kindness”.
I shared that with someone the other day... I was just talking with a neighbour, and he was asking: all this big, tough, man thing - is that godly? I said: no, it isn't. I said: here is the quality God says is great in a man - loving kindness (and other qualities as well).