“And
we urge you, brethren . . . be patient with all men .”
1 Thessalonians 5:14
As a spiritual leader
God gives you all kinds of people whom you are to serve. Paul mentions three
kinds of people in the above referenced verse: the unruly, fainthearted, and
weak and gives directives as to how to minister to each. After urging
admonishment, encouragement, and help, Paul gives a primary filter, patience,
to be applied with each person.
Some speak of
patience as though it were a discipline needing to be learned, a skill which is
hard to come by, something requiring practice and extreme effort. Patience with all men is physically impossible for
any man, woman, or child. No amount of effort, practice, or skill will give one
the ability to deal with ALL patiently. No, it just isn’t in the nature of man
to be patient with all men.
Is that not a point
of having life in Christ, that in Him
we can do ALL things (Philippians 4:13)? It is not about one’s physical characteristics, self
control, or intestinal fortitude, but about one’s relationship with Christ that
makes it possible to be patient with all men. One cannot admonish the unruly,
encourage the fainthearted, or help the weak without spiritual discernment, nor
can one be patient with all men without spiritual understanding.
Patience with all men
requires a number of things. First, you must deny yourself and be grafted as a
branch into Christ. (Luke 9:23, John 15:5) Filled with The Holy Spirit you must have the mind of
Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) In Christ, under the tutorship of The Holy Spirit,
you have both the means and the opportunity to fulfill the command in 1
Thessalonians 5:14 to minister to all who God brings across your path with an
attitude of patience.
Patience requires the
ability to see beyond the obvious and discern the truth about those God brings
to you. Each of us is unruly, fainthearted, and weak in different aspects and
at different times in our life. At the root of each of these attitudes is our
separation from God and the brokenness of our life. Ministry to others comes
from an understanding of this truth and the ability to look beyond the obvious
fallen nature and minister to the spiritual need of each individual person.
Patience is the
reflection of Christ through you onto the lives of those He brings across your
path. That patience is poured “onto” lives because the recipient can accept or
reject what is offered. If His patience through you is accepted it will enter
their life and impact their spirit. If His patience through you is rejected it
becomes for them a tool they can pick up and apply at another time or just
another experience, a gift from God, which they reject.
As the world becomes
more narcissistic, responding patiently with all men becomes more and more an
anomaly and thus more and more a clear witness of Christ in your life. “…be patient with all men.” Look at those God
brings to you with the eyes of Christ.
See them for who they really are, children whom He loves and for whom He
sacrificed His Son. Recognize that those He brings across your path are no
different than you are. They may be “acting out” differently than you do/have
but at the core we are all the same fallen children needing ministry. Reflect
Christ – be patient with all men as He is patient with you.
© Written by Dr. Richard L. Roberts, Founder/Director
of Life Focus Ministries.
You can reach him at
Richard@GrowLeaders.org or (423) 790-4994.
