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paralleling ASFG 1 lesson on “PATIENCE”
Means through Which Patience Is Gained
and It takes Patience to Run the Race
BIBLE READING: Leviticus, 26th Chapter
(pages 61 and 62)
The Kingdom of Heaven and the Power of Patience
Jesus often used parables to reveal both the nature and the location of the Kingdom of Heaven. A recurring theme in these stories is patience — not a passive endurance, but an active, faith-filled perseverance. In the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7), the shepherd leaves ninety-nine to search for the one that has gone astray. Though some might see this as folly, the joy in recovering the lost sheep reflects the patience and persistence of divine love. Through such patience, we are reminded that “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise… but is patient with you” (2 Peter 3:9).
Patience, as ASFG Lesson 7 explains, is the means through which we awaken our awareness of God’s presence. In moments of delay or trial, we learn that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9). Each waiting season refines us and teaches us to trust His timing. The Comforter — the Holy Spirit — meets us in these moments, assuring us that we are not abandoned but being strengthened from within.
Applying Patience: The Kingdom Within
The Kingdom of Heaven is not a distant realm but a state of inner realization. It begins when we determine our purpose and steadfastly pursue it with faith and patience. As Hebrews 10:36 teaches, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.”
Patience, therefore, is not idle waiting — it is active obedience and disciplined endurance.
The ASFG Lesson 7 emphasizes that we gain patience little by little, through daily experience and self-mastery. Every obstacle becomes a test and an opportunity to “overcome and put behind us each new trial.” When we surrender impatience, pride, or resentment, we make room for divine strength to work through us. We begin to reflect the truth that “Love is patient, love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4), as we learn not only to have patience with others but with ourselves.
The Creative Power of Patience
Patience is one of the many divine attributes within the soul that must be magnified in daily life. When we express patience, we open ourselves to God’s creative power and guidance. The ASFG Lesson 7 text reminds us that “The Spirit does not call on us to live what we do not already know, but to apply what we know day by day.” This echoes James 1:4: “Let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
As we apply patience, we begin to see God working through time, space, and endurance — revealing that His law is written not only in Scripture but in our hearts.
When impatience causes us to stumble, it is often because we are still learning self-discipline. Yet even our failures are opportunities for growth. Romans 5:3–4 reminds us: “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.”
God’s Promises and the Law of Patience
God’s promises are eternal and unwavering. As He kept His covenant with David and Solomon (1 Kings 11:11–13), so too does He honor His promises to us today. When we neglect our commitments to God, we rob ourselves of blessings — for “God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).
Patience allows us to align our actions with divine law until, through living the truth, we become one with it. In this, we move from being “under the law” to living “by grace” (Romans 6:14).
Patience transforms discipline into devotion. Hebrews 12:1 calls us to “run with patience the race that is set before us.” Each challenge we face refines our spirit, much like gold purified by fire. As ASFG Lesson 7 notes, “We begin to grow as we overcome and put behind us each new obstacle.” The trials we endure are not punishments but divine opportunities for purification and readiness for service.
Patience as the Pathway to Oneness with God
Patience bridges the gap between our current awareness and our ultimate spiritual fulfillment. It helps us endure the passage of time until we transcend it, entering into that timeless state of communion with God. In the stillness of patient faith, we realize the truth of Psalm 46:10 — “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Every act of patience draws us nearer to God’s likeness. Through discipline, perseverance, and love, we begin to embody the divine law. This is what it means to “lose self in Him” and to let His Spirit live through us, as ASFG Lesson 7 teaches: “The end is magic — the realization divine — when every act, every thought, and every word is so actuated by the spirit of patience.”
In this awareness, patience becomes not merely endurance, but the active expression of faith. It is the steady power that transforms weakness into strength, waiting into worship, and time into timelessness.
Through patience, we come to know that “The race is not to the swift… but to those who endure to the end” (Ecclesiastes 9:11; Matthew 24:13).
Summary Thought
Patience is the soul’s steady trust in divine order. It is how the Kingdom of Heaven unfolds within us, moment by moment. As we learn to wait upon the Lord (Isaiah 40:31), we find renewed strength — discovering that patience is not simply the ability to wait, but the grace to trust God while we wait.
EXPLANATION OF LESSON
1. The Kingdom of Heaven and the Power of Patience
Jesus’ parables (like the lost sheep) show that the Kingdom of Heaven is discovered through the practice of patience — seeking, enduring, and trusting in God’s timing rather than rushing to human conclusions.
ASFG Lesson 7 Link
In “Means Through Which Patience Is Gained”, the text says that “in patience we become aware of our presence before the Throne.” This matches the idea that patience is the doorway to divine awareness — the shepherd’s persistence represents spiritual diligence, not passivity.
Biblical Support
2 Peter 3:9 — God’s patience reveals His mercy.
Luke 15:4–7 — The shepherd’s perseverance mirrors divine patience in redemption.
Both emphasize patience as an expression of love that restores and rejoices.
2. Applying Patience: The Kingdom Within
The Kingdom of Heaven is an inner realization reached through purposeful living and endurance.
When we choose a goal aligned with God’s will and stay steady, we transform patience from waiting into action.
ASFG Lesson 7 Link
ASFG Lesson 7 explains that patience grows “little by little,” through daily choices and overcoming trials. It warns that “submission will not suffice; our patience must be active.”
That aligns with Hebrews 10:36 — doing God’s will requires endurance before receiving the promise.
Biblical Support
Hebrews 10:36 — “You need to persevere…”
1 Corinthians 13:4 — “Love is patient.”
Patience is therefore an act of love and a means to experience God’s Kingdom “within you” (Luke 17:21).
3. The Creative Power of Patience
Patience activates the creative power of the soul — it is the spiritual energy through which God’s will becomes reality in our lives.
ASFG Lesson 7 Link
ASFG Lesson 7 describes patience as “the realization divine… every thought and every word so actuated by the spirit of patience.” That means patience allows the divine to work through us consciously.
It also notes that the “Spirit does not call on us to live what we do not already know,” showing patience as the process of deepening understanding.
Biblical Support
James 1:4 — “Let patience have her perfect work.”
Romans 5:3–4 — Tribulation builds patience and hope.
Both reveal patience as the refining force that perfects faith and awakens creativity in spirit.
4. God’s Promises and the Law of Patience
God’s promises never fail; our impatience or disobedience causes our suffering. When we live God’s law patiently, we move from being “under the law” to living “by grace.”
ASFG Lesson 7 Link
ASFG Lesson 7 teaches that patience involves trust in divine timing during trials. “The trying of our faith worketh patience,” it quotes from James 1:3, and the “race must be run.” These reflect that enduring tests leads to maturity.
Biblical Support
1 Kings 11:11–13 — God keeps His covenant with David despite Solomon’s failure.
Galatians 6:7 — We reap what we sow.
Hebrews 12:1 — Run with patience the race before us.
Together, these passages show patience as faith’s law in action — aligning us with God’s order and mercy.
5. Patience as the Pathway to Oneness with God
Patience bridges time and eternity. Through it we endure earthly delay until we awaken to God’s timeless presence.
ASFG Lesson 7 Link
ASFG Lesson 7 calls patience “the race that must be run” and “the activity of patience, with trust in Him.” It notes that every obstacle we overcome purifies us and draws us closer to God — like “a consuming fire” that refines.
Biblical Support
Psalm 46:10 — “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Ecclesiastes 9:11 / Matthew 24:13 — Endurance brings salvation.
John 14:6 — Christ as the way back to the Father.
These confirm that patience isn’t stagnation but the spiritual journey home to divine unity.
6. Summary Thought
Patience is trust in divine order. Waiting becomes worship when we rest in God’s timing.
ASFG Lesson 7 Link
ASFG Lesson 7 closes with a call to run with patience and trust that “only the activity of patience, with trust in Him, will enable us to meet all trying conditions.” This mirrors Isaiah 40:31 — waiting renews strength.
Biblical Support
Isaiah 40:31 — “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.”
James 1:3 — “The trying of your faith worketh patience.”
Patience, then, is both the discipline and the evidence of faith in action.
Affirmation: “I Grow in Patience and Divine Trust”
“The trying of my faith works patience.” — James 1:3
Affirmation:
I am patient in spirit and steadfast in purpose.
I trust that God’s timing is perfect in all things.
Every delay refines me, every challenge strengthens me,
and every moment of waiting deepens my awareness of His presence within.
I run my race with patience, knowing that the Kingdom of Heaven unfolds in me now.
With calm endurance and quiet joy, I rest in the rhythm of divine order.
I am at peace in the process, for God’s promise is sure.
(Pause and repeat: “I grow in patience and divine trust.”)
Prayer: “A Prayer for Patience in the Kingdom Within”
“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” — James 1:4
Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
Teach me the grace of patience — not as stillness without purpose,
but as faith in motion.
When I am tempted to hurry ahead of Your will,
remind me that every moment is held in Your eternal care.
Grant me the wisdom to see delay not as denial,
but as divine preparation.
Help me to endure trials with a quiet heart,
knowing that You are shaping me through every waiting season.
Let Your Spirit guide my thoughts, my words, and my steps,
so that patience may perfect its work within me.
As Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him,
may I endure each trial with the same steadfast love.
I surrender my impatience and receive Your peace.
In stillness, I find Your presence; in waiting, I find Your strength.
Through patience, may I come closer to Your heart,
until my will and Yours are one.
Amen.
Meditation: “The Inner Kingdom of Stillness”
“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10
“Let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1
Meditative Practice:
Center the Breath —
Sit quietly and breathe deeply.
As you inhale, say silently: “I trust in God’s timing.”
As you exhale, say: “I release all impatience.”
Focus on Inner Awareness —
Visualize a calm light within your heart — the Kingdom of Heaven within you.
Each breath fans that light gently brighter.
See it expanding with peace and quiet strength.
Contemplate —
In this stillness, feel yourself aligned with divine order.
Every heartbeat is in rhythm with God’s purpose.
The passage of time becomes sacred — each moment a teacher, each delay a gift.
Whisper inwardly:
“My patience is faith in motion. My waiting is worship. My peace is God within me.”
Closing Thought —
Rest in silence for a few moments, letting this awareness settle deep into your soul.
When you rise, carry the quiet assurance that patience is not waiting for something to happen — it is living faithfully until God’s will unfolds.
ASFG LESSON 7 PATIENCE: Means Through Which Patience Is Gained/It Takes Patience to Run the Race PARAPHRASED AND EXPLAINED
Means Through Which Patience Is Gained
Patience is how we come closer to God’s presence. When we quiet our hearts and turn inward, we awaken spiritually. Through patience, we accomplish spiritual growth. If we become anxious or lose faith, we create barriers within ourselves. Yet, when we wait upon God, we are reminded that His grace is always sufficient. We have no reason to fear or doubt.
Patience means staying in harmony with our divine purpose. When we practice patience, we build spiritual strength. Even though difficulties may arise — trials that seem to separate us from God — each one has a purpose and a reward. Through these experiences, we learn to rely on the Holy Spirit, who comforts and guides us.
Understanding God’s laws takes time. Spiritual growth is gradual — “little by little.” Developing patience requires constant effort. If we lose our temper, criticize others, or rush ahead, we stumble in our progress. True patience means letting go of selfish desires and focusing on helping others. When we surrender self-will, we begin to reflect God’s love and presence.
Every day becomes sacred when our thoughts and actions flow from the spirit of patience. This becomes the universal experience of recognizing God in everyone. Each trial we face is an opportunity to grow stronger. Passive waiting is not enough — patience must be active, lifting us higher with every test. God’s refining fire burns away the parts of us that cannot enter eternal life. As we overcome, our faith deepens, and we feel His sustaining strength within us.
To live this truth, we must apply what we already know. God doesn’t ask us to live beyond our understanding — but as we act faithfully on what we know, greater wisdom follows. “Now is the accepted time,” says Scripture. Today is the day to practice faith, to act with patience, and to trust God’s promise in every trial.
It Takes Patience to Run the Race
The testing of our faith produces patience (James 1:3). Each day, step by step, we move along life’s path — a spiritual race. When we lose patience with ourselves, we lose sight of progress. Instead of frustration, we should see each challenge as an invitation to grow closer to God.
Patience is not passivity or laziness; it is strength in motion. As we trust in God’s timing, we lay aside the burdens that weigh us down — doubt, fear, pride, and resentment. We are called to “run with patience the race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1), continually moving toward God.
If Christ were to appear today and ask for the fruit of our faith, what would we offer? Our words? Our actions? Patience shows the true measure of our faith. A patient spirit keeps us steady even when progress feels slow or unseen.
Let us live each day as if it were the final day of our journey — with love, gratitude, and perseverance. When we trust in Christ, the Way and the Truth (John 14:6), patience becomes the activity of faith that helps us rise above every barrier.
Explanation and Application
1. Patience as Spiritual Awareness
The lesson teaches that patience awakens us to God’s presence. When we wait in faith, our inner awareness grows. Every delay is a divine tool shaping our souls. This echoes Romans 5:3–4: “Tribulation produces patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope.”
2. Patience as Growth through Testing
Trials are not punishments — they are God’s refining fire. As Hebrews 12:6 reminds us, “The Lord disciplines those He loves.” Each challenge removes the impurities that block our spiritual light. Patience allows us to endure these lessons with peace instead of resistance.
3. Patience as an Active Force
True patience is not mere waiting — it’s an active trust in divine timing. It pushes us to keep moving, learning, and growing. Lesson 7 calls this “the magic of realization divine” — the point when every act and word is guided by love and calm trust in God.
4. Running the Race
Life is the spiritual race Paul spoke of in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 and Hebrews 12:1. We must run it faithfully, shedding impatience and distraction. Patience keeps us focused on the finish line — spiritual unity with God.
5. The Reward of Patience
When we persevere with patience, we align ourselves with God’s eternal rhythm. Each moment of endurance becomes an act of worship. As we practice patience with ourselves and others, we live the truth of James 1:4: “Let patience have her perfect work.”
Summary
Patience is not passive — it is the living strength of faith.
Through patience, we meet God within.
Through testing, we grow.
Through endurance, we triumph.
And through stillness, we find the eternal peace of His promise.
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