But the fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
- Galatians 5:22-23
Luke 21:19 is one of my favorite Scripture passages. It says, "By your patience possess your souls."
It is right smack in the middle of Jesus' discourse about the signs of the end of the age:
"Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. But when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately."
Then He said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake. But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost.
By your patience possess your souls.
But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men''s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.
There can be no doubt about it, we are already in the end of the age that Jesus talks about in this passage.
There are wars, and rumors of wars...
earthquakes, famines, and pestilences...
signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars...
These are neither easy nor comfortable times for us to live in.
Nevertheless, we are powerless to change the course of events. All Jesus is asking of us is to remain steadfast, and to endure.
And to trust the words that He will put in our mouths when the time comes for us to speak up.
By your patience possess your souls.
My fourth grandchild Peaceful One turns three months old today, too young to understand what is going on in the world around her.
She belongs to Generation Z, the generation of children born after 2000.
As her grandmother, I belong to the Baby Boomers Generation, the generation born during the post WWII "Baby Boom" - from 1946 to 1964, when the world was naturally making up for all the people lost during the last world war, and there was a so-called "baby boom." Born in postwar hardship this generation eventually recovered and experienced prosperity through hard work, creativity, educational advancement and technological discovery.
The Generation X children, those born from mid 1960s to early 1980, are shaped by global events such as the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the end of the Cold War, and are more open to diversity. They are better equipped to tolerate religious-cultural differences.
My own children belong to Generation Y, those born in the early 1980s to the year 2000. This generation is aptly called The Millenials. A generation largely shaped by the technological revolution, they are a powerful group of young people who has technology built into their DNA, so to speak. This is a generation of iPhones, laptops, and tablets - social network connection is the language they speak and the milieu in which they operate.
Generation Z babies are born to Generation X and Y parents, so we can just imagine the kind of spiritual potential these children have.
Joel's army spoken of in the book of Joel will be comprised of Generation X, Y, and Z children.
This is also definitely the generation that will see the return of Jesus Christ.
So, the Biblical admonition By your patience possess your souls very much applies to this generation of young people.
Understandably, Generation X, Y, and Z children are impatient.
They have no patience for slow movement. They live in the age of fast food, space travel, and microwaves. Instant gratification. They do not understand the value of delayed gratification, which was what their grandparents, the Baby Boomers, knew very much about.
But not this generation. They think they know what they want, and that they can have it at the click of a mouse, or by simply pressing a button.
Internet banking.
Online shopping.
Everything within reach.
They live in today's cyberworld of increased knowledge.
But increased knowledge doesn't necessarily mean increased understanding.
Understanding only comes with patient endurance.
Longsuffering or "long-tempered" is the Old English word for patience. It connotes the idea of being willing to suffer long.
That is how spiritual understanding comes, and that is also how inner character is built.
By the willingness to endure, to hold fast, and to wait patiently.
That is the only way by which we will save our lives, or win our souls, as some translations put it.
By patient endurance gain your life.
My dearest granddaughter,
You may be too young to understand what patience is, but today as you turn three months old, I speak to your spirit...
that you will be a child who will grow up with patience, willingness to wait, and ability to endure.
I decree and declare that a rich spiritual deposit of steadfastness will be a part of your DNA.
You live in an environment when it is so easy to lose your soul, so easy to allow the world's ungodly standards define you.
The world says, "It's okay to be intolerant."
The name of the game is "I can have what I want right now."
To be impulsive is normal.
But I pray that contrary to the ways of the generation to which you belong, you will be a young person willing to go against the tide of compromise and self-centeredness.
Your heart will be protected by patience.
By patience you will gain spiritual insight, understanding, and wisdom.
By patience your heart will be prepared for the tribulation and lawlessness against which you need to stand in these last days.
By patience you will be safe against the deceptive schemes of the evil one, and you will be ready to welcome the imminent return of Jesus Christ and bow before Him as your King, Lord and Savior.
This is my deep desire, and fervent prayer for you, my dearest Peaceful One, on this your third month of life.
Love,
Nana
There can be no doubt about it, we are already in the end of the age that Jesus talks about in this passage.
There are wars, and rumors of wars...
earthquakes, famines, and pestilences...
signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars...
These are neither easy nor comfortable times for us to live in.
Nevertheless, we are powerless to change the course of events. All Jesus is asking of us is to remain steadfast, and to endure.
And to trust the words that He will put in our mouths when the time comes for us to speak up.
By your patience possess your souls.
My fourth grandchild Peaceful One turns three months old today, too young to understand what is going on in the world around her.
She belongs to Generation Z, the generation of children born after 2000.
As her grandmother, I belong to the Baby Boomers Generation, the generation born during the post WWII "Baby Boom" - from 1946 to 1964, when the world was naturally making up for all the people lost during the last world war, and there was a so-called "baby boom." Born in postwar hardship this generation eventually recovered and experienced prosperity through hard work, creativity, educational advancement and technological discovery.
The Generation X children, those born from mid 1960s to early 1980, are shaped by global events such as the Vietnam War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the end of the Cold War, and are more open to diversity. They are better equipped to tolerate religious-cultural differences.
My own children belong to Generation Y, those born in the early 1980s to the year 2000. This generation is aptly called The Millenials. A generation largely shaped by the technological revolution, they are a powerful group of young people who has technology built into their DNA, so to speak. This is a generation of iPhones, laptops, and tablets - social network connection is the language they speak and the milieu in which they operate.
Generation Z babies are born to Generation X and Y parents, so we can just imagine the kind of spiritual potential these children have.
Joel's army spoken of in the book of Joel will be comprised of Generation X, Y, and Z children.
This is also definitely the generation that will see the return of Jesus Christ.
So, the Biblical admonition By your patience possess your souls very much applies to this generation of young people.
Understandably, Generation X, Y, and Z children are impatient.
They have no patience for slow movement. They live in the age of fast food, space travel, and microwaves. Instant gratification. They do not understand the value of delayed gratification, which was what their grandparents, the Baby Boomers, knew very much about.
But not this generation. They think they know what they want, and that they can have it at the click of a mouse, or by simply pressing a button.
Internet banking.
Online shopping.
Everything within reach.
They live in today's cyberworld of increased knowledge.
But increased knowledge doesn't necessarily mean increased understanding.
Understanding only comes with patient endurance.
Longsuffering or "long-tempered" is the Old English word for patience. It connotes the idea of being willing to suffer long.
That is how spiritual understanding comes, and that is also how inner character is built.
By the willingness to endure, to hold fast, and to wait patiently.
That is the only way by which we will save our lives, or win our souls, as some translations put it.
By patient endurance gain your life.
My dearest granddaughter,
You may be too young to understand what patience is, but today as you turn three months old, I speak to your spirit...
that you will be a child who will grow up with patience, willingness to wait, and ability to endure.
I decree and declare that a rich spiritual deposit of steadfastness will be a part of your DNA.
You live in an environment when it is so easy to lose your soul, so easy to allow the world's ungodly standards define you.
The world says, "It's okay to be intolerant."
The name of the game is "I can have what I want right now."
To be impulsive is normal.
But I pray that contrary to the ways of the generation to which you belong, you will be a young person willing to go against the tide of compromise and self-centeredness.
Your heart will be protected by patience.
By patience you will gain spiritual insight, understanding, and wisdom.
By patience your heart will be prepared for the tribulation and lawlessness against which you need to stand in these last days.
By patience you will be safe against the deceptive schemes of the evil one, and you will be ready to welcome the imminent return of Jesus Christ and bow before Him as your King, Lord and Savior.
This is my deep desire, and fervent prayer for you, my dearest Peaceful One, on this your third month of life.
Love,
Nana
Here's a song that my children used to sing when they were little:
Patience (Fruit of the Spirit, The Music Machine)
Patience (Fruit of the Spirit, The Music Machine)
There was a snail called Herbert
Who was so very slow
He caused a lot of traffic jams
Wherever he would go
The ants were always getting mad
And the beetles they would fume
But Herb would always poke along
And sing this little tune
Who was so very slow
He caused a lot of traffic jams
Wherever he would go
The ants were always getting mad
And the beetles they would fume
But Herb would always poke along
And sing this little tune
Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you
When Herbert was much younger
He often got in trouble
Forgetting that he was a snail
He did things on the double
He'd crash through every spider web
And with crickets he'd collide
'til one day Herbert's father
Took his speeding son aside
Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you
As you can well imagine
There's a moral to this tale
Some of you may find yourselves
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you
When Herbert was much younger
He often got in trouble
Forgetting that he was a snail
He did things on the double
He'd crash through every spider web
And with crickets he'd collide
'til one day Herbert's father
Took his speeding son aside
Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you
As you can well imagine
There's a moral to this tale
Some of you may find yourselves
Behind a creeping snail
So if you get impatient
And you're easily disturbed
Think about this little song
And take a tip from Herb
Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you
And take a tip from Herb
Have patience, have patience
Don't be in such a hurry
When you get impatient
You only start to worry
Remember, remember
That God is patient too
And think of all the times
When others have to wait for you
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