Scripture Text: 2 Peter 3:8-9.

Long-suffering is the first of this second set of three fruits. It is the fourth Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Long-suffering simply means patiently enduring wrongs and difficulties. It is a deliberate, slow, measured and consistent calmness in the face of provocative or hopeless situations. An associate to patience, long-suffering means to be cool, calm and collected to avoid rash reactions to issues.

In our Scripture text, Peter makes us understand that is a strength rather than a weakness: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Therefore, if we fear God and keep His commandments, we can delight in His long-suffering and loving attitude towards us since as sinners, we do not deserve such blessed consideration. Paul says more bluntly in Romans 2:3-4: And thinks thou this, O man…that you shall escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” Peter reminds us that God was long-suffering during Noah’s time. In 1 Peter 1:20, we read, “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”

There are so many benefits of long-suffering to mention but few:

1. It accomplishes God’s perfect purposes for our lives(Romans 8:28). Everything God does, He does for a reason—an infinitely good reason. He does nothing arbitrarily but purposeful, intentional, loving and wise to perfect His grand and perfect providential plan for our lives.

2. It is God’s tool for the advancement of the Gospel and His Kingdom (Philippians 1:12) .In His wisdom, God has chosen suffering as one of the primary tools He uses for the effective spread of the gospel and the encouragement of the saints.

3. For our Purification (Job 23:10; Psalm 119:67) Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. God uses suffering in countless different ways to increase our holiness and obedience.

4. It increases the Power of God in Us! (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). When we realize that our suffering opens up greater possibilities for God to demonstrate His power in our lives, we will delight in our sufferings. Lack of suffering tends toward self-reliance which reduces the level of divine power at work in your life.


5. It exposes us to the level of our faith or unbelief (Luke 8:13).
All suffering is a test. Each trial exposes the genuineness or lack of genuineness of our faith. When a trial pushes a person away from God, that exposes the fact that faith, in that area, is not real. When suffering drives a person toward God, that exposes the fact that his faith is real.

7. It gives us greater ability to experience various attributes of God (1 Peter 4:13). One of the reasons for our increased capacity for joy on that Day is the fact that our suffering enables us to experience all the attributes of God that can only be experienced in the midst of pain. There is no greater thing than to have a favorable experience of an attribute of God.

8. It increases our understanding of the goodness of the presence of God (Psalms 13:1). One of our greatest problems is our inability to appreciate what is so wonderful about the presence of God. We can read about it in Scripture, but often our emotions and desires don't get on board with what we know intellectually. But when we suffer, and we say to our soul, “See, the presence of God is so good; this is a sample of what it’s like to be a little further from that presence”—that trains the soul to appreciate (with mind, heart, and soul) how wonderful the presence of God is.

9. It increases our thirst for God’s presence (Psalm 63). Like David, we can respond to agonizing pain by using that pain to increase our thirst for God’s presence, because only His presence can restore joy.

10. It draws us closer to God and intensifies prayer (Luke 22:44).It is a fact that our most intense, heartfelt, passionate prayers, have been in times of anguish or desperation.

11. It makes us long for Heaven (2 Corinthians 5:. The greater our hope for heaven the more we honor God. Suffering increases that hope. We should respond to long suffering by thinking more about heaven.

12. It increases our hope for the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 21:4) . Let long suffering turn our thinking to that glorious Day as no joy is greater than the one awaiting us in Heaven.

13. It teaches us to understand God’s Word (Psalm 119:71). Very often the key to understanding God’s Word comes only through suffering. A painful ordeal breaks into our lives, and the agony of it drives us to seek a solution from Scripture with an intensity we would not otherwise have.
15. It teaches us the horror of sin (Romans 8:19). All pain exists because of sin and is designed to teach us how horrible sin really is. None of us hate sin enough, but suffering, if we use it right, can train us to hate sin more. Let all your distress over suffering feed your hatred for sin and increase your love for righteousness.

16. It gives us the privilege of participate in the sufferings of Christ (1 Peter 4:12; Philippians 3:10; Acts 5:41).

17. We have a reward from God (Luke 6:22). Suffering for Christ is a grand and glorious privilege, and will be richly rewarded. No matter what you go through in following Christ, He will make it worth our while!

18. It Motivates us to change (Psalm 119:67). Long-suffering is a gift from God that motivates us to take action to solve problems in the soul. When our pain is due to a pattern of wrong thinking or behavior or attitudes, when the pain becomes intense enough it drives us to find answers about the cause of that pain and change towards a right cause.
19. It activates compassion (Hebrews 2:18). Compassion is a crucial component of Christ-likeness, but it is impossible apart from suffering. You cannot feel for someone who is suffering if you have no idea what it is like to suffer. And the closer your suffering is to that of the other person, the greater your ability to have compassion. So the greater the intensity and variety of your sufferings, the better!

20. It encourages us to help others (2 Corinthians 1:3). In our suffering, we succeed in finding comfort from God. And having suffered and found comfort from God, we now have the ability to show others how it’s done.

21. It increases God's glory in our lives (2 Corinthians 4:17). The greater our suffering now, the greater the glory of heaven for us when Jesus comes.

22. We follow the footsteps of Jesus (Philippians 3:10; Hebrews 2:10; 1 Peter 2:19-21). Every time we suffer and respond like Jesus responded, we are following in His glorious steps.

23. It enables sacrificial giving and deeper expressions of love (2 Corinthians 1:6;1 John 4:9; 2 Sam.24:24). Giving in a way that causes us suffering is the most costly gift we can give. That is the way God gave to us. Suffering enables us to give precious, priceless gifts even when we are penniless.

Brethren, to get the fruit of long-suffering is not within our power. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. However, only when we have given our lives to Christ can we have access to the Holy Spirit, who in return fills us with His "Fruit". And this fruit that we bear in us (Gal. 5:22-23) is only way we can inherit the Kingdom of God.

If you would give your life to Christ today, say this short prayer:
"Lord Jesus, I come to you now, come into my life, take control and change my world. I say bye bye to the devil, I enter into the Kingdom of Light. Thank You Jesus, in Your name I pray, amen".

Congratulations!!!

God bless you.

Peace!