7 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else.
All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
James 5:7-12
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Patience.
What are things in our lives that we are patient for?
For the Christian, our reality must be the return of our King and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
However, how big is this a reality in our lives?
And how should we live in making this a growing reality in our lives?
James expounds on this reality in how we ought to wait for the ‘Blessed Hope’ for all Christians -“While we wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13) – and urges us toward developing a deep faith in Christ, through the resolute belief that He is coming back to judge the living and the dead.
A deep faith in Christ, through the resolute belief that Christ is coming back; to administer His ultimate, perfect and eternal justice – the brand of justice that
To wait patiently for the Lord’s coming is the Christians’ framework that helps us in enlightening and enlivening our roles and tasks in the world.
Our impetus to live must be established upon the reality of Christ’s imminent return.
We are able to wait patiently – through all of life’s tragedies, sorrows, joys and dreams – because we live in constant anticipation that He will return to turn our sorrows into joy, and to transform our this-worldly joy into eternal bliss in God.
To wait patiently (Gk: makrothyméō) is to be long-tempered; to intentionally defer our reactions birth out of human reasoning – and so, effectively put to death our sinful old-selves and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us into New Creation beings.
To wait patiently for Christ’s return is to fill our days with prayers, aspirations and deeds that prepare us for that eventuality.
Just like the town that gathered together in front the church to pray for rain during a prolonged season of drought, and like the girl – who was the only one amongst the hundreds - who thought to bring an umbrella, we too must fill our days with consistent prayers, aspirations and deeds that speaks to our Lord’s certain coming.
In other words, instead of reacting through life with human reasoning, we respond to life with the Holy Spirit’s help through divine revelation.
Through the course of life and its inherent sufferings, we keep our thoughts, priorities on the task at hand – which is the preparing of our souls to be judged, and preparing those around us to be judged.
Have you made any preparations to be judged? Are you preparing your loved ones to be judged?
And so, like the prophets who – through persecution and suffering – developed this deep faith and resolute belief in the Messianic God and His redeeming love, we too must embrace the reality of His ultimate return and rescue, in order to be considered worthy to be called His sons and daughters.
This is the very divine revelation that kept the prophets (and Job) fully cognizant to the presence, purpose and power of God in their lives.
Have you received this divine revelation – that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy? Have you experienced this reality?
Have you shared this precise gospel to the people around you lately?
If you haven’t, could it be that you have not yet embraced this reality yourself – that the Lord is indeed compassionate and merciful?
What is holding you back from embracing this reality?
Is it your work? Your ministry? Or your family? Or are these simply excuses, because the only thing that could really hold you back is yourself?
Nothing should hold you back from this reality. Not your busyness in life, or your misguided priorities of life. In His love and fairness, God has granted us enough time to come into this revelation.
So never hold back the time you need to experience God’s compassion and mercy.
If you hold back now, you will lose it forever.
Only you can decide to embrace this reality – for only you can experience the compassion and mercy of God.
And only through this divine revelation - in the stark reality of our broken and wicked world - would we begin to discover the truth that the only and absolute answer for our world today is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
But doesn’t this make us stand out in the world driven be self-preservation and self-indulgence?
Yes it does. But it is better to be irrelevant to the world than to be irreverent to the Creator of the Heavens and the earth.
Beloved brethren, may this be both a warning and an encouragement to you.
Through the Holy Spirit, let us learn to more fully accept this reality, and live in this certainty.
We can never be certain about any outcomes in life.
But this outcome we can be certain - that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!
Are you ready?
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Holy Spirit, develop in me a deep faith in Christ, through the resolute belief that He is coming back to judge the living and the dead.
Grant me the divine revelation, and wisdom to understand that
Holy Spirit, consecrate me daily, purify me daily, sanctify me daily, infill me daily, and empower me daily – that I may live my life to the ultimate end where I find myself standing before Christ, my Judge and my redeemer, in the fulfillment of my blessed and certain hope, and in Your divine invitation for me to be part of your eternal and perfect Kingdom.
Lord Jesus, come!
For I know that through Your Holy Spirit’s power – I will be ready!
I thank you and pray all these in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
9 Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!
10 Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.
The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else.
All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.
James 5:7-12
Dearly Beloved,
Greetings in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Patience.
What are things in our lives that we are patient for?
For the Christian, our reality must be the return of our King and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
However, how big is this a reality in our lives?
And how should we live in making this a growing reality in our lives?
James expounds on this reality in how we ought to wait for the ‘Blessed Hope’ for all Christians -“While we wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,” (Titus 2:13) – and urges us toward developing a deep faith in Christ, through the resolute belief that He is coming back to judge the living and the dead.
A deep faith in Christ, through the resolute belief that Christ is coming back; to administer His ultimate, perfect and eternal justice – the brand of justice that
- leaves us consecrated and sanctified;
- forever separated from all unrighteousness, sin, shame and pain; and
- forever enjoined with Him in holiness and perfect love, joy and peace.
To wait patiently for the Lord’s coming is the Christians’ framework that helps us in enlightening and enlivening our roles and tasks in the world.
Our impetus to live must be established upon the reality of Christ’s imminent return.
We are able to wait patiently – through all of life’s tragedies, sorrows, joys and dreams – because we live in constant anticipation that He will return to turn our sorrows into joy, and to transform our this-worldly joy into eternal bliss in God.
To wait patiently (Gk: makrothyméō) is to be long-tempered; to intentionally defer our reactions birth out of human reasoning – and so, effectively put to death our sinful old-selves and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us into New Creation beings.
To wait patiently for Christ’s return is to fill our days with prayers, aspirations and deeds that prepare us for that eventuality.
Just like the town that gathered together in front the church to pray for rain during a prolonged season of drought, and like the girl – who was the only one amongst the hundreds - who thought to bring an umbrella, we too must fill our days with consistent prayers, aspirations and deeds that speaks to our Lord’s certain coming.
In other words, instead of reacting through life with human reasoning, we respond to life with the Holy Spirit’s help through divine revelation.
Through the course of life and its inherent sufferings, we keep our thoughts, priorities on the task at hand – which is the preparing of our souls to be judged, and preparing those around us to be judged.
Have you made any preparations to be judged? Are you preparing your loved ones to be judged?
And so, like the prophets who – through persecution and suffering – developed this deep faith and resolute belief in the Messianic God and His redeeming love, we too must embrace the reality of His ultimate return and rescue, in order to be considered worthy to be called His sons and daughters.
This is the very divine revelation that kept the prophets (and Job) fully cognizant to the presence, purpose and power of God in their lives.
Have you received this divine revelation – that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy? Have you experienced this reality?
Have you shared this precise gospel to the people around you lately?
If you haven’t, could it be that you have not yet embraced this reality yourself – that the Lord is indeed compassionate and merciful?
What is holding you back from embracing this reality?
Is it your work? Your ministry? Or your family? Or are these simply excuses, because the only thing that could really hold you back is yourself?
Nothing should hold you back from this reality. Not your busyness in life, or your misguided priorities of life. In His love and fairness, God has granted us enough time to come into this revelation.
So never hold back the time you need to experience God’s compassion and mercy.
If you hold back now, you will lose it forever.
Only you can decide to embrace this reality – for only you can experience the compassion and mercy of God.
And only through this divine revelation - in the stark reality of our broken and wicked world - would we begin to discover the truth that the only and absolute answer for our world today is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
But doesn’t this make us stand out in the world driven be self-preservation and self-indulgence?
Yes it does. But it is better to be irrelevant to the world than to be irreverent to the Creator of the Heavens and the earth.
Beloved brethren, may this be both a warning and an encouragement to you.
Through the Holy Spirit, let us learn to more fully accept this reality, and live in this certainty.
We can never be certain about any outcomes in life.
But this outcome we can be certain - that Christ will return to judge the living and the dead.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!
Are you ready?
Shalom.
Let us pray.
Our Father in Heaven,
Hallowed be Your Name.
Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven.
Holy Spirit, develop in me a deep faith in Christ, through the resolute belief that He is coming back to judge the living and the dead.
Grant me the divine revelation, and wisdom to understand that
- Our Patience is for waiting on the Lord’s return.
- Our Perseverance is for seeing through what the Lord is going to do in our lives before then.
- Our Proclamations in life must show the world that Christ is the ultimate Judge and He is just, merciful, and compassionate.
Holy Spirit, consecrate me daily, purify me daily, sanctify me daily, infill me daily, and empower me daily – that I may live my life to the ultimate end where I find myself standing before Christ, my Judge and my redeemer, in the fulfillment of my blessed and certain hope, and in Your divine invitation for me to be part of your eternal and perfect Kingdom.
Lord Jesus, come!
For I know that through Your Holy Spirit’s power – I will be ready!
I thank you and pray all these in the Name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.