Brief: God calls us to be patient with
others and to overlook offenses.
Scripture: Proverbs 19:2;
27:3; 15:18; 19:11; 20:22
Read Proverbs
19:2.
What does it mean “to have zeal without knowledge”?
To be excited
about something before you have all the information. It’s the same thing as
being hasty, being too quick to do something or to make a decision, before you
have all the facts you need.
Has having zeal without knowledge ever caused you to make a mistake?
When?
If you make a decision too quickly, you’ll probably end up making the
wrong decision. So, rather than rushing into action or jumping to conclusions,
this verse is saying that we should try to have a little more patience,
try to slow down a little, and find out the best way to do something or to deal
with a situation.
Today, I want us to talk about having patience with difficult people
instead of being too hasty with them and losing our temper.
Read Proverbs
27:3.
What does it mean to say that “provocation by a fool is heavier than
both” stone and sand?
This verse is
saying that whereas one can carry stones and sand, it is much harder to bear
being provoked by someone. If someone is irritating us, it’s really
hard not to lose our temper with them. God knows that. But God also knows that
losing our temper with someone is not the best way to deal with someone.
Read Proverbs
15:18.
What happens when we lose our temper with someone?
We lose our temper
and then, they lose their temper, and the fight just gets worse.
Can you think of a time when you got angry and made a situation
worse? Summarize the situation.
When has being patient helped solve a situation?
If we get angry, the problem just escalates, but if we remain calm and
exercise our patience, then that will also help others to calm
down. As Christians, we are called to bring peace and to help solve
problems in the best possible way, which can only be done by remaining calm.
Read Proverbs
19:11.
Instead of getting angry about something, what is this verse saying we
should do?
Overlook the
offense. Ignore it. Don’t worry about it. Just move on with your life.
Most stupid things that people do to you aren’t worth getting upset
about. And if we can overlook those things, if we can ignore and forget about
them instead of arguing or fighting about them or losing our temper and making
the situation worse, then it will be to our glory. We will be the person taking
the higher road.
Read Proverbs
20:22.
What is this verse telling us we
should do when someone wrongs us?
Don’t
worry about it. Give it to God and let God take care of it.
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