Galatians 5:5 NIV “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”

Sunday – The God of Patience
Romans 15:4-5 NRSV “4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 ¶ May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 27:14 NKJV “Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”
Psalm 37:7 NKJV “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
Psalm 37:7 TREASURY OF DAVID (Spurgeon) Take the case of one who, with a load above his strength, has been toiling some steep and broken path, when suddenly he finds it lifted off and transferred to another whose strength he knows to be more than equal to the task, and in whose sympathy he can securely trust. What would his feeling be but one of perfect rest, and calm reliance, and joyous freedom, as they went on their way together? And such is the blessedness of rolling our care upon the Lord -- in weakness we are resting on superior strength, in perplexity and doubt we are resting on superior wisdom, in all times of trial and hard service we can stay ourselves on the assurance of his perfect sympathy.
Romans 5:3-5 NKJV “3 And not only [that], but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Monday – In God’s Time
Romans 5:6 Moffatt NT “For when we were still in weakness, Christ died in due time for the ungodly. For the ungodly!”
Romans 5:6 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE This due or proper time will appear in the following particulars:-1. Christ was manifested in the flesh when the world needed him most. 2. When the powers of the human mind had been cultivated to the utmost both in Greece and Rome, and had made every possible effort, but all in vain, to find out some efficient scheme of happiness. 3. When the Jews were in the lowest state of corruption, and had the greatest need of the promised deliverer. 4. When the fulness of the time came, foretold by the prophets. 5. When both Jews and Gentiles, the one from their jealousy, the other from their learning, were best qualified to detect imposture and to ascertain fact. 6. In a word, Christ came when his advent was most likely to promote its great object-glory to God in the highest, and peace and good will among men.
Galatians 4:4 Moffatt NT “but when the time had fully expired. God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,”

Tuesday – David, An Object Lesson in Waiting
1 Samuel 26:1-11 Century Eng Version (CEV) “1 ¶ Once again, some people from Ziph went to Gibeah to talk with Saul. "David has a hideout on Mount Hachilah near Jeshimon out in the desert," they told him. 2 Saul took three thousand of Israel’s best soldiers and went to look for David there in Ziph Desert. 3 Saul set up camp on Mount Hachilah, which is across the road from Jeshimon. But David was hiding out in the desert. When David heard that Saul was following him, 4 he sent some spies to find out if it was true. 5 Then he sneaked up to Saul’s camp. He noticed that Saul and his army commander Abner the son of Ner were sleeping in the middle of the camp, with soldiers sleeping all around them. 6 ¶ David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Joab’s brother Abishai, "Which one of you will go with me into Saul’s camp?" "I will!" Abishai answered. 7 That same night, David and Abishai crept into the camp. Saul was sleeping, and his spear was stuck in the ground not far from his head. Abner and the soldiers were sound asleep all around him. 8 Abishai whispered, "This time God has let you get your hands on your enemy! I’ll pin him to the ground with one thrust of his own spear." 9 "Don’t kill him!" David whispered back. "The LORD will punish anyone who kills his chosen king. 10 As surely as the LORD lives, the LORD will kill Saul, or Saul will die a natural death or be killed in battle. 11 But I pray that the LORD will keep me from harming his chosen king. Let’s grab his spear and his water jar and get out of here!"”
1 Samuel 26:12-25 CEV “12 David took the spear and the water jar, then left the camp. None of Saul’s soldiers knew what had happened or even woke up—the LORD had made all of them fall sound asleep. 13 ¶ David and Abishai crossed the valley and went to the top of the next hill, where they were at a safe distance. 14 "Abner!" David shouted toward Saul’s army. "Can you hear me?" Abner shouted back. "Who dares disturb the king?" 15 "Abner, what kind of a man are you?" David replied. "Aren’t you supposed to be the best soldier in Israel? Then why didn’t you protect your king? Anyone who went into your camp could have killed him tonight. 16 You’re a complete failure! I swear by the living LORD that you and your men deserve to die for not protecting the LORD’s chosen king. Look and see if you can find the king’s spear and the water jar that were near his head." 17 Saul could tell it was David’s voice, and he called out, "David, my son! Is that you?" "Yes it is, Your Majesty. 18 Why are you after me? Have I done something wrong, or have I committed a crime? 19 Please listen to what I have to say. If the LORD has turned you against me, maybe a sacrifice will make him change his mind. But if some people have turned you against me, I hope the LORD will punish them! They have forced me to leave the land that belongs to the LORD and have told me to worship foreign gods. 20 Don’t let me die in a land far away from the LORD. I’m no more important than a flea! Why should the king of Israel hunt me down as if I were a bird in the mountains?" 21 ¶ "David, you had the chance to kill me today. But you didn’t. I was very wrong about you. It was a terrible mistake for me to try to kill you. I’ve acted like a fool, but I’ll never try to harm you again. You’re like a son to me, so please come back." 22 "Your Majesty, here’s your spear! Have one of your soldiers come and get it. 23 The LORD put you in my power today, but you are his chosen king and I wouldn’t harm you. The LORD rewards people who are faithful and live right. 24 I saved your life today, and I pray that the LORD will protect me and keep me safe." 25 "David, my son, I pray that the Lord will bless you and make you successful!" Saul went back home. David also left,”
1 Samuel 26:25 COMMENTARY BY ADAM CLARKE There is a vast deal of dignity in this speech of David, arising from a consciousness of his own innocence. He … refers the whole matter to God, as the judge and vindicator of oppressed innocence. … in the behalf of their king not one of his officers has one word to say! It is strange that none of them offered now to injure the person of David; but they saw that he was most evidently under the guardian care of God, and that their master was apparently abandoned by him.

Wednesday – Elijah – the Problem of Rushing
1 Kings 19:1-9 BBE “1 ¶ Ahab gave Jezebel news of all Elijah had done, and how he had put all the prophets to death with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a servant to Elijah, saying, May the gods’ punishment be on me if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. 3 And he got up, fearing for his life, and went in flight, and came to Beer-sheba in Judah, parting there from his servant; 4 While he himself went a day’s journey into the waste land, and took a seat under a broom-plant, desiring for himself only death; for he said, It is enough: now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers. 5 And stretching himself on the earth, he went to sleep under the broom-plant; but an angel, touching him, said to him, Get up and have some food. 6 And looking up, he saw by his head a cake cooked on the stones and a bottle of water. So he took food and drink and went to sleep again. 7 And the angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touching him said, Get up and have some food, or the journey will be overmuch for your strength. 8 So he got up and took food and drink, and in the strength of that food he went on for forty days and nights, to Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 ¶ And there he went into a hole in the rock for the night; then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, What are you doing here, Elijah?”
What things caused these people to rush outside God’s will?
Sarah - Genesis 16:1-3 ESV “1 ¶ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.”
Moses – Numbers 20:10-12 ESV “10 Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, "Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?" 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. 12 And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them."”
Samson – Judges 14:1-3 ESV “1 ¶ Samson went down to Timnah, and at Timnah he saw one of the daughters of the Philistines. 2 Then he came up and told his father and mother, "I saw one of the daughters of the Philistines at Timnah. Now get her for me as my wife." 3 But his father and mother said to him, "Is there not a woman among the daughters of your relatives, or among all our people, that you must go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines?" But Samson said to his father, "Get her for me, for she is right in my eyes."”
Mother of James & John - Matthew 20:20-21 God’s Word to the Nations “20 ¶ Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her two sons. She bowed down in front of him to ask him for a favor. 21 "What do you want?" he asked her. She said to him, "Promise that one of my sons will sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."”
James & John - Luke 9:52-56 God’s Word to the Nations “52 He sent messengers ahead of him. They went into a Samaritan village to arrange a place for him to stay. 53 But the people didn’t welcome him, because he was on his way to Jerusalem. 54 James and John, his disciples, saw this. They asked, "Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to burn them up?" 55 But he turned and corrected them. 56 So they went to another village.”
Paul – Acts 9:1 God’s Word to the Nations “Saul kept threatening to murder the Lord’s disciples. He went to the chief priest”

Thursday – Learning to Delight in the Lord
Psalm 37:1-11 Holman “1 ¶ Davidic. Do not be agitated by evildoers; do not envy those who do wrong. 2 For they wither quickly like grass and wilt like tender green plants. 3 Trust in the LORD and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. 4 Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart’s desires. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act, 6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday. 7 ¶ Be silent before the LORD and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the man who carries out evil plans. 8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated—it can only bring harm. 9 For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the LORD will inherit the land. 10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for him, he will not be there. 11 But the humble will inherit the land and will enjoy abundant prosperity.”
Psalm 37:7 TREASURY OF DAVID There are two words in the original, which express the privilege and the duty of resting on Christ: one implies such a state of acquiescence, as silences the clamours of conscience, and composes the perturbation of the spirit; the other signifies the refreshment and repose of a weary pilgrim, when he arrives at the end of his journey, and is settled for life in a secure, commodious, plentiful habitation. James Hervey.