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“What does long-suffering mean?” is a question that is often asked. The answer is simple - to be patient in the midst of long-term suffering. In 1 Corinthians 13, the Apostle Paul describes 15 characteristics of love. He chose long-suffering, or patience, as the first characteristic. That is an interesting way to begin a discourse on love.
Most people think that love is supposed to be fun, painless, exciting, beneficial, and comforting, but not according to the Apostle Paul. Firstly, he discussed “agape” love, which is selfless love that is demonstrated through actions and a willingness to lay down self in the pursuit of loving God and others. This is the love that Jesus willingly embraced, even though He knew it would take Him to the cross on behalf of sinful humanity.
Paul led his discussion on selfless, “agape” love with the fact that love is long-suffering. If love is long-suffering, then what is the suffering that love must endure? Long-suffering is when we continue to demonstrate affection and concern for others in the midst of trials. It is to remain long-suffering toward those who have hurt us, acknowledging that God is still doing work in them. It is to choose to love, as we patiently wait for the objects of our love to be transformed by the Holy Spirit, and through the Christlike love we are expressing toward them.
Long-suffering is to love as Jesus loves. He loved us even while enduring the suffering of the cross. He died for the sins of the world, by the hands of the sinners He chose to love. His life was taken by the ones He came to save and who had persecuted Him while He was alive. He knew that the salvation of those He loved could not occur unless He was willing to patiently endure suffering by their hands. Can you love your spouse and other family members in this way? Can you love your employees and customers with this kind and depth of love?
I have a friend whose spouse has not returned the love extended to them. However, they continue to endure and show them love with patient long-suffering, believing with full faith and confidence that God is using that love to do mighty work in them. As a business coach, I have the privilege of watching many Biblical Entrepreneurs long suffer with their staff and customers, and many Christian employees long suffer with their employers.
How do you long suffer with those you love?
· Put your focus on Christ first, and then, love the person with long-suffering, Christlike love (Colossians 3:2)
· If you are long-suffering because of love for Christ’s sake, then you are a partaker of the suffering of Christ (1 Peter 4:13)
· Have full faith that through your long-suffering, God is doing a work in the other person’s heart - and also in yours (1 Peter 3:1)
You may think that this kind of love is foolish and unrealistic. Who does this?
Well, Jesus loved humanity this way. So did Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, and Nelson Mandela. Each of these great men and women brought transformational change to the societies in which they lived and worked. It is this kind of love that brought an end to racial segregation and oppression in America. It is this kind of selfless, sacrificial love that saves marriages, grows businesses, unites communities, and heals relationships.
As Martin Luther King once said, “Unearned suffering is redemptive.”
My prayer for you is that God will give you the grace to be patient with your loved ones, your customers, your employees, and all those whom you are called to love so that through patience and long suffering, you may experience the abundant life that Jesus promised.
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