THE FRUIT OF LONGSUFFERING
“For what glory is it, if, when you are buffeted for your faults, you shall take it patiently? But if, when you do well, and suffer for it, you take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were you called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” 1 Pet 2: 20-21.
The verses you just read above makes it clear that every believer is called to suffer for the sake of Christ and the gospel, so that we will reign with Him (2 Tim 2:12).
If you deny Christ by running away from suffering for Him and the gospel, He also will deny you, because He has given you an example.
Suffering is a school by itself and it will take a whole book to write about it.
Now the fruit of longsuffering has to do with being patient in suffering, enduring insults, injustice and being slow to anger or despair in order to see God's purposes fulfilled.
Manifesting the fruit of longsuffering is like agreeing with God for Him to boast with you in front of Satan and having been rough-handled by Satan; you come out with your faith still intact.
“And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel has appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him. And Saul said; bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said, what have you done? And Saul said, because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you came not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore, said I, the Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, you have done foolishly: you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you: for now would the Lord have established your kingdom upon Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue: the Lord has sought Him a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be captain over His people, because you have not kept that which the Lord commanded you” 1 Sam 13:8 -14.
As far as the kingdom of God is concerned, longsuffering is a kingmaker.
Bearing the fruit of longsuffering can enthrone a believer as a king.
Not bearing it, can also dethrone you as a king. Our brother Saul learnt this truth the hard way.
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah“ (1 Sam 16:13).
Our brother David had been anointed to reign as king over Israel. But he suffered rejection, persecution and passed through life-threatening situations for years before he could ascend the throne.
God in His infinite wisdom allowed David to pass through all these things in order for him to manifest the fruit of longsuffering outside of him. This is one of the major factors that contributed to his becoming one of Israel’s greatest leaders.
David literally spent years running for his dear life, even when he had the opportunity to end it all by killing his enemy Saul; he instead chose to depend on God to avenge him. Now, if God allowed David to pass through all these, despite the fact that he was a man after His own heart, what makes you think you can catwalk into glory without manifesting the fruit of longsuffering?
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2: 5-11).
Though Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but He still considered it necessary to humble himself through suffering (Death on the cross).
Suffering is a humbling experience I tell you, and without humility you cannot manifest the fruit of longsuffering.
No wonder Jesus is the humblest of the humblest!
Jesus never told anybody to do what He himself has not done or is already doing. Rather He expects believers to do greater things than He has already done.
God never lowers the bar, instead He raises it.
So the greater the suffering you go through, the greater the glory you should expect.
WHO HAS EVER NAMED HIS SON JOB?
“So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat down among the ashes. Then said his wife unto him, do you still retain your integrity? Curse God, and die. But he said unto her, you speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not job sin with his lips”. Job 2: 7-10.
Beloved, can you for a minute imagine what it means for something that was made to curse its maker?
In the case of job, if he had listened to the wife and cursed God, there are three possibilities here:
1. God could choose to allow the curse to bounce back on job, thereby destroying him.
2. God could apply the right of mercy (A type of right: Ex 33: 19) thereby giving job a second chance.
3. Satan could hold unto the curse as a license to destroy job.
Now you must understand that Satan inspired Job’s wife to ask him to curse God, so as to gain advantage over him.
Satan is always looking for bargaining chips with which to bargain with God on who should follow him to hell. That is why as a believer, you need to get a special padlock for your mouth.
The reason is obvious: what you say with your month has temporary as well as eternal consequences.
In today’s world, nobody wants to name his son “Job”, because both believers and unbelievers think it’s a curse and that you are prophesying a life of suffering and misfortune to the child.
But is this actually the case?
I don’t think so.
Majority of Christian’s today are against Christ because they undermine His principles.
Job’s life was a mixture of good fortune and misfortune, wealth and poverty, joy and sorrow etc. It was never one-sided. Brother Job recognized that if a believer sees himself as being qualified to receive blessings/good things from the Lord; then that also qualifies him to receive curses/bad things from Him. What this means is that since God is the one that created Satan; He has every right to use Satan to buffet and persecute believers in order to test their faith, and love for Him or to make them stronger. Manifesting the fruit of longsuffering is what elevates or qualifies you for the next glory (Jas 1:12).
In other words, moving from suffering to suffering makes you a long sufferer and moving from longsuffering to longsuffering is moving from glory to glory.
Are you ready for the next glory?