The Fruit of the Spirit by Rick RennerSample

Longsuffering and Gentleness

Have you ever thought, Lord, You have to help me deal with this person You’ve put in my life! At times, we all become frustrated with someone else, and sometimes our level of frustration can rise to a boiling point. Like everyone, we need a healthy dose of longsuffering if we’re going to successfully get along with other people in this world.

“Longsuffering” is another fruit of the Spirit that the apostle Paul wrote about in Galatians 5:22. It comes from the Greek word makrothumia, which is a compound of the word makros, meaning long or distant, and the word thumos, meaning anger or a strong and growing passion about something. Together these words depict the patient restraint of anger. 

Longsuffering is so different from the flesh, which gets easily angered and says things it later regrets. If you don’t allow longsuffering to work in you, you will end up frustrated with everyone all the time—including with yourself. As you invite the Holy Spirit to supernaturally produce longsuffering in you, you’ll be more tolerant of others, more peaceful within yourself, and a lot more loving and patient toward those you love and need so much!

But longsuffering isn’t all you need! The Holy Spirit wants to produce gentleness in you too! The word “gentleness” comes from the Greek word chrestotes, which means to show kindness or to be friendly to others, and it often depicted rulers, governors, or people who were kind, mild, and benevolent to their subjects. One scholar even noted that when the word chrestotes is applied to inter-human relationships, it conveys the idea of being adaptable to others.  

It is a supernatural work of God when we become adaptable to meet the needs of others around us. But that is exactly what Jesus did for us! He laid aside His glory and took on the form of a servant so that He might reach us and bring us to God! 

Do you find yourself thinking about how you can reach others or how you can become a bigger blessing to people in your life? That is a strong indication that the fruit of the Spirit called gentleness is starting to work in you. If it hasn’t started to work in you yet, today would be a great day for you to ask the Holy Spirit to start producing this Christ-like attribute in your life!