Bearing Fruit with Patience

"But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance." -Luke 8:15

Perseverance is just a brother to patience. Patience is something that is in short supply in our culture. We have been seduced by television, newspapers, and internet to expect everything now. How many news reports carry “breaking news” somewhere in the bylines? How many complex crime scenes are explained in our hour? Even in the church, we expect God to bring results in a moment of time, but consider that Noah was building the ark for one hundred years, and David spent many years dodging King Saul after he had already been anointed King over Israel. Most of our walk with the Lord, our faith, will manifest through our patience. When the seed (the Word of God) enters our heart its growth depends on two elements, the type of soil and time. This is true in the natural realm. If a farmer plants corn in clay it will not grow as it will in top soil. Also, the farmer knows if he doesn’t see the sprout in a few days it is still growing. Our soil is our heart. A honest and good heart allows the Word of God to settle easily and grow quickly. It feeds the Word of God with the essential elements of growth; it does not choke off the Word through fear or love of the world. Even in the good soil of our honest heart, we must hold on. How long should we hold on expecting God’s results? We hold on until they happen in the natural realm. This is faith, and the duration of time we continue to believe God is perseverance. God has promised, in the Word, we add patience to our faith we will inherit the promises. PRAYER: Father, I will continue to trust in what you have said until Your promises appear in my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Pastor Michael Heil

#perserverance #determination #patience #culture