We've been studying the Fruit of the Spirit - what God does when we allow Him to work in our lives. This message, we're going to look at the one we usually don't get too excited about, but it might be one of the most critical for our lives - "Patience"!#1. What is patience?most prevalent N.T. concepts for patience…>to dwell, remain up under something (hupo-mone)I Peter 2: 20paraphrase - I AM NOT GOING ANYWYERE >long suffering (macro-thumos)>being gentle, reasonable to work withpatience means…>endurance>perseverance>steadfastness/commitment >to wait patiently upon the Lord to rescue/answer>to put up with something unpleasant and not get angry about it>to be reasonable to work with #2 What does patience do in our lives?a. shows we are a child of God Luke 8: 15 I Peters 1: 7, Revelation 1: 9b. provides hope Romans 5: 3-5, II Corinthians 4: 17I Peter 2: 20Romans 8: 28c. prepares us for Jesus’ returnd. moves us closer to God’s great purpose for usHebrews 6: 11-12e. brings about spiritual maturity James 1: 2-4f. drives us to pray James 1: 5#3. What builds patience in usJames 1: 3Romans 5: 3