People today are not very patient. We don’t want to wait around for things to get done. We want our meals done in a matter of minutes, quick prep time, quick cooking time. Fast food meals are even delivered to your door in just a few minutes. TV shows solve all the problems within 30 or 60 minutes. Forget about reading a long novel, as it takes too long. There are some things, though, that do require time, and one must learn patience for the results. In our Scripture reading today, James gives us some examples of patience, to encourage us to have patience.
Sometimes as Christians, we become impatient for the Lord’s return. It is good that we are eagerly anticipating, and looking forward to His return. However, as problems mount in our personal lives, and with society and the world becoming increasingly evil, our waiting may turn to impatience, which could even begin to turn to doubting if the Lord will ever return. The people to whom James wrote his epistle were living through some very difficult days, just as we are. There was persecution for their faith. There was oppression from the government. Many of the people to whom he wrote were poor or working class laborers, and they were being oppressed and taken advantage of by the rich, wealthy class, which James mentioned just prior to the start of our passage.
James encouraged his readers, and us as well, to be patient for the return of the Lord (vs. 7). He will return when the time is right. James gives us the example of the farmer to consider. Anyone who has done any gardening knows that when you plant the seeds, you have to wait weeks, sometimes many weeks, before the plant will come in, whether it is vegetables or flowers. Then there are many vegetables, which after the plant comes up, you have to wait many more weeks for the crop to ripen before it can be harvested. The farmers are also subject to waiting for the seasonal rains to come. There is nothing a farmer can do to hasten the process, so he has learned to be patient. So James tells us to also be patient.
We are encouraged to establish our hearts, to have resolute and firm courage and commitment (vs. 8). These early Christians were going through some very harsh persecution, and some were on the verge of collapsing under this strain. James wanted to stir them up to not quit or give up hope in their faith. Just as the farmer knows that the crop will eventually come, so will the Lord return. Today, in some parts of the world, persecution of Christians is very severe. In other places the persecution is much more subtle. In either situation, the Scriptures encourage us to not lose heart, but patiently endure mistreatment (Romans 8:18).
James then gives a somewhat less common example of waiting, and that being of a courtroom (vs. 9). If you have ever had to go to court, or have watched some courtroom dramas on TV, you know that the attorneys and others begin to gather in the courtroom, getting everything ready for when court convenes. Then, at just the precise moment, the judge comes through the courtroom door and everything springs into action. James reminds us that the Judge, the Lord Jesus, is standing at the door.
We are also told to remember what others in the past went through, and to look at their examples of suffering, endurance, and patience (vs. 10). Today we can look back at many centuries of martyrs for the faith, with the suffering and patience they had. At the time of our Scripture, James pointed his readers to the example of many of the prophets of the Old Testament. We can look at the prophet Elijah who was persecuted by Queen Jezebel, as he had to flee for his life (I Kings 19:1-3). There was the godly High Priest Zechariah who was ordered stoned by King Joash because he condemned the sin of the king and others (II Chronicles 24:20-21). The prophet Urijah was executed by King Jehoiakim for speaking God’s Word (Jeremiah 26:20-23). The prophet Jeremiah was frequently mistreated and imprisoned for his message by King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 20:1-2; 38:4-6).
We must wait patiently for the return of the Lord Jesus. We cannot make Him come back any sooner. While we wait there is much work we can be doing for God’s Kingdom, and not be living as if He will never return. We must live by faith, looking towards our future reward. The finish line is just ahead, just around the corner. Don’t give up!
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