2Ti 2:12   if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us;
Re 3:10   Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

God is looking for good soldiers who can endure patiently till He comes.

2Ti 2:3   Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

The Purposes of God

The purposes of God often develop slowly because His grand designs are never hurried.

The great New England preacher Phillips Brooks was noted for his poise and quiet manner. At times, however, even he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him angrily pacing the floor like a caged lion. "What's the trouble, Mr. Brooks?" he asked. "The trouble is that I'm in a hurry, but God isn't!" Haven't we felt the same way many times?

Some of the greatest missionaries of history devotedly spread the seed of God's Word and yet had to wait long periods before seeing the fruit of their efforts. William Carey, for example, labored 7 years before the first Hindu convert was brought to Christ in Burma.  Adoniram Judson toiled 7 years before his faithful preaching was rewarded. In western Africa, it was 14 years before one convert was received into the Christian church. In New Zealand, it took 9 years; and in Tahiti, it was 16 years before the first harvest of souls began.

Thomas a Kempis described that kind of patience in these words: "A person does not deserve to be called "patient" who is only willing to suffer as much as he thinks proper, and for whom he pleases. The truly patient man asks (nothing) from whom he suffers, (whether) from his those over him, his friends and family, or those in his care…But no matter what is done to him by anyone, he accepts it all as from the hand of God, and counts it gain!"

Sometimes patience is a matter of how we view things.  Sometimes we need to look at the bigger picture to help us gain patience.  Here is the story of a man who finally realized a bigger picture.

Contentment

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived with his wife, two small children, and his elderly parents in a tiny hut.  He tried to be patient and gracious, but the noise and crowded conditions wore him down.

In desperation, he consulted the village wise man.  "Do you have a rooster?" asked the wise man.

"Yes," he replied.

"Keep the rooster in the hut with your family, and come see me again next week."

The next week, the man returned and told the wise elder that living conditions were worse than ever, with the rooster crowing and making a mess of the hut.  "Do you have a cow?" asked the wise elder.  The man nodded fearfully.  "Take your cow into the hut as well, and come see me in a week."

Over the next several weeks, the man -- on the advice of the wise elder -- made room for a goat, two dogs, and his brother's children.