7So be patient, brethren, [as you wait] till the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits expectantly for the precious harvest from the land. [See how] he keeps up his patient [vigil] over it until it receives the early and late rains.
8So you also must be patient. Establish your hearts [strengthen and confirm them in the final certainty], for the coming of the Lord is very near.
9Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you [yourselves] may not be judged. Look! The judge is [already] standing at the very door.
10[As] an example of suffering and ill-treatment together with patience, brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord [as His messengers].
11You know how we call those blessed (happy) who were steadfast [who endured]. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the Lord's [purpose and how He richly blessed him in the] end, inasmuch as the Lord is full of pity and compassion and tenderness and mercy.
- James 5:7-11 (Amplified Bible)
So far we have learned through the previous verses of James 5 that lust of Money is corruptible and leads us to sin in many different ways. And those that have fallen, do not go unnoticed by God.
But why do we desire money, in the first place? This is an important question to note. Just take,say, a 2 year old kid. Does he desire money? Does he care for more than his mother's love and and his father's care? He is absolutely carefree. The reason we care/crave after money so much is that we are born and bred into a world system that teaches us to rely on it, that it is the source of our happiness and true joy. We are told, ' You can't have a life without education and wealth'. Also, 'You are all alone. nobody is for nobody..scratch your own back..survival of the fittest'. If this much were true, we truly are living in a very dark world led by deceived people. On both the above accounts, the world teaches us wrong. Yes, there is a life BEYOND education and wealth. And No, we are not alone. Don't be fooled into thinking that education and money are the things that lead you into success and prosperity and happiness. I cannot stress this enough! In God's world, all we need to be is humble and all we need to do is believe and rely on Him. He has given us what we should do, He also has given us life skills via the Bible and talents by birth to hone and utilize..talents we ACTUALLY enjoy!!
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."
- Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Fear thou not; for I am with thee.
- Isa 41:10
SO when we have started trusting God with our things and our lives, whats next? Whats next when the plan of God has begun working in your life? To tell you as a matter of fact, when God leads us into something, He expects this much - for us to believe in him and rely on Him. See, God knows whats going on in your life..in all our lives. He knows all the things that are happening in your life. He reads and understands the stresses of your heart. He is not ignoring you. Our God is a God of compassion, understanding and love. He loves His children very much and wants us to be happy and satisfied. He also wants us to come to Him with our grievances and troubles and tell Him and ask His help, sincerely. Its not arrogance. Its a prayer. Its worship. It humbles us to know that only God can be on our side and never leave our side and support us and shelter us. That is the revelation He wants to give us. And during that process, our God is asking us: "are you relying on Me still? I am working out things for you. You have to wait a little for My time but are you going to put your trust in Me and be patient with Me? Are you going to keep your cool and wait joyously and expectantly in Me?" What is your answer?
In verse 7, as a farmer tills the land (in his ability and responsibility), sows seeds..he has to wait for the rains to arrive for his crops to grow( in God's ability and grace). He doesn't get frustrated in 10 days and say, "Man, When is it going to rain...this is useless..its in vain!" No, he doesn't say that! What he does do, here as in verse 7, is patiently wait for it to rain. By that, I mean, he is expectant of the clouds to rain and has not taken his eyes off the goal - the harvest. We are asked by our Lord to do the same -to strengthen our hearts, to keep focus, not get discouraged and give up or even do everything (even God's part) by ourselves but be encouraged and be expectant of Him who provides us. The Lord is coming, and He has a storeroom up there and a place for all of those who believe in Him and are reliant on Him, in heaven. So that day isn't far. This is our God-given hope.
In the time of waiting, we (normally) tend to get cranky.."When will my license work get done...grumble,grumble..for the millionth time ever, pick up your socks!...grumble grumble..I ought to teach that cashier how to talk to people!..grumble grumble" What don't we complain about?! The moment we wake up, till dusk..there has to be at-least two things we nag about. Why do we complain? Because we don't rely on God. OK, So you prayed about your so-and-so situation to Him, did you check your behaviour after that? We all want quick solutions but God at times, doesn't work that way. But it is certain that He is taking note and doing something about it. Remember that those who complain also fall in the temptation of judging others, and the Bible tells us that only God is Judge above all. If we judge, we are judged by Him. Therefore repent and receive His forgiveness.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
The Lord through the Holy Spirit is kind and merciful to exhort us and encourage us. We ought to look up to Biblical examples of perseverance. Take example from the prophets of the old testament like Moses, Job, David; those from the new testament - Peter, Paul..read books of blessed men and women of God like Smith Wigglesworth, John. G. Lake, Maria Woodworth Etter, Katherine Kuhlman etc. Watch daily shows on Biblical examples, listen to Gospel songs.Read out the promises mentioned in the Word against your problem in faith. They are truly all encouraging and emboldening. We have known how these stories have ended - God has blessed them in good measure and abundantly. The best example of all is that of Jesus. He suffered too many troubles, misbehaviour on the part of Roman soldiers, religious people, physical abuse, taunts, and what not! And what happened to Him?He, our Saviour, is seated on the right hand side of our God, as His High Priest in Heaven. And all His suffering and patience in the Holy Father has paid off. So many of us are saved and so many are still getting saved because of His perseverance.
Then when it comes to our own lives, we too must trust in God for Him to fulfill His promises. We are told that those who stick to God and don't let their hearts weaken are the ones that God prospers. He blesses us with abundance and to such a measure that we wouldn't have imagined of. Be patient (reliant, expectant, focused and joyous) in the Lord and He will in His good time, answer your prayer.
We shall continue on the concluding verses 12-20 tomorrow which shall teach us what to do and what to keep a watch on when we wait.
God bless you.
- CMS, Member of J.L.E.S Ministries
- Phil 2:12-16(ESV)
The Lord through the Holy Spirit is kind and merciful to exhort us and encourage us. We ought to look up to Biblical examples of perseverance. Take example from the prophets of the old testament like Moses, Job, David; those from the new testament - Peter, Paul..read books of blessed men and women of God like Smith Wigglesworth, John. G. Lake, Maria Woodworth Etter, Katherine Kuhlman etc. Watch daily shows on Biblical examples, listen to Gospel songs.Read out the promises mentioned in the Word against your problem in faith. They are truly all encouraging and emboldening. We have known how these stories have ended - God has blessed them in good measure and abundantly. The best example of all is that of Jesus. He suffered too many troubles, misbehaviour on the part of Roman soldiers, religious people, physical abuse, taunts, and what not! And what happened to Him?He, our Saviour, is seated on the right hand side of our God, as His High Priest in Heaven. And all His suffering and patience in the Holy Father has paid off. So many of us are saved and so many are still getting saved because of His perseverance.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
- Roman 3:28 (ESV)
- Roman 3:28 (ESV)
Then when it comes to our own lives, we too must trust in God for Him to fulfill His promises. We are told that those who stick to God and don't let their hearts weaken are the ones that God prospers. He blesses us with abundance and to such a measure that we wouldn't have imagined of. Be patient (reliant, expectant, focused and joyous) in the Lord and He will in His good time, answer your prayer.
We shall continue on the concluding verses 12-20 tomorrow which shall teach us what to do and what to keep a watch on when we wait.
God bless you.
- CMS, Member of J.L.E.S Ministries
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