“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV
To be yoked, linked to Yeshua (Jesus) he can teach us and show us how to love. Jesus is the gentle shepherd.
Jesus said my yoke is easy. It is better, it is goodness, gracious and kind.
When we choose to stop loving it may cause many repeated life lessons. So I am determined to sort out the deeper meanings of love starting with patience. I want to learn how to love from the New Testament, from the greatest teacher ever born.
What does patience mean in Hebrew?
The Hebrew word for patience is savlanut, סַבְלָנוּת.
The Hebrew word for tolerance is, sovlanut, סוֹבְלָנוּת.
The Hebrew word for patience comes from ‘sevel’, which means to be willing to suffer, willing to go through pain and agony.
Suffering, sevel, סֵבֶל, also means to carry something very heavy, so heavy that it causes anguish.
Without patience and tolerance we may want to say “I can’t stand” him or her, which means in Hebrew …one doesn’t suffer the other, לא סובל.
Patient: Strong’s Number G3114 matches the Greek μακροθυμέω (makrothymeō)
- to be of a long spirit, not to lose heart to persevere patiently and bravely in enduring misfortunes and troubles
- to be patient in bearing the offenses and injuries of others
- to be mild and slow in avenging
- to be longsuffering, slow to anger, slow to punish
Makrothymeō is what Jesus did for us.
Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another” (John 13:34)
Jesus replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22: 37-39
Empowering Choices 