Tag: James 5:10-11
Patience with people!
Scripture reading for April 5th: James 5, Psalm 68, Proverbs 6
James 5:7-11 “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”
James, a pastor, understood well the need for patience. His instructions to the beloved brothers was to cultivate a continual awareness of the coming of our Lord. Our Lord is the Judge of all men and believers must stand before the Judgment seat of Christ to receive reward or loss for deeds done in the body. A lack of patience with people is manifested in grumbling, complaining and judging others. To encourage patience, James pointed believers to the prophets who spoke in the Name of the Lord. Job, in particular, was a man of great suffering and trials, yet he patiently waited on the Lord. The Lord restored him double at the end! God is truly merciful and compassionate and worth waiting for!
Psalm 68:3-4 “But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy! Sing to God, sing praises to His Name; lift up a song to Him Who rides through the deserts; His Name is the Lord; exult before Him.”
Prayer: Father God, I rejoice in You today and in Your wise Words of encouragement through the prophets and apostles written down for us. Your Words are a Light and when I am reproved by them, it leads me to a fuller life and the experience of peace. Help me to be patient with others each day, recognizing Your great patience for me and Your endless mercy for Your suffering people.
Proverbs 6:23 “For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way to life.”
Restoration for Job
Scripture reading for June 3rd: Job 40-42
God continues His questioning of Job, who is now under conviction of being unworthy to say any more. (Job 40:4-5) Job was to brace himself and give God some answers. The first question was: “Would you discredit my justice?” The next related to the first: “Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?” (Job 40:8)
Curiously, God then began to direct Job’s attention to two of the most fierce animals. Behemoth was a fierce land animal that is perhaps the hippopotamus or elephant. Leviathan was a fierce water creature that is perhaps the crocodile or fire-breathing dragon. These two animals bring fear to the hearts of men because of their power and ability to dominate. But at the end, God said that there was nothing on earth that was these creatures’ equal–a creature without fear. He was king of all the proud! What was God talking about? Why this discussion of these fearful animals? Could it be that God was teaching Job about Satan and his downfall, pride?
Job repented and came to a new understanding of God’s greatness and trustworthiness. God instructed the friends to offer sacrifice and have Job pray for them to avert His judgment. Elihu was not mentioned and we are not told why. After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored Job to his former prosperity and gave him double all that he had lost. (Job 42:10) Job had seven more sons and three daughters. This is the same as before and implies that he would see his others in heaven as well!
This story has a happy ending and teaches us all valuable lessons of faith. We won’t always have all the answers and we must be careful when trying to help those going through trial and affliction. We certainly don’t want to become like Job’s comforters! We can be thankful that God is in control and that He is merciful and answers prayer. We can also rest assured that God will work everything for good to those who love Him and keep the faith!
“Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider 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.” James 5:10-11
Restoration of Job
Scripture reading for June 3rd: Job 40-42
Finally, we come to the end of this long book of endless arguments concerning the nature of suffering, God’s character and justice, and God’s ability to work out everything according to the counsel of His Word. God continues His questioning of Job, who is now under conviction of being unworthy to say any more. (Job 40:4-5) Job was to brace himself and give God some answers. The first question was: “Would you discredit my justice?” The next related to the first: “Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?” (Job 40:8)
Curiously, God then begins to direct Job’s attention to two of the most fierce animals. Behemoth is a fierce land animal that is perhaps the hippopotamus or elephant. Leviathon is a fierce water creature that is perhaps the crocodile or fire-breathing dragon. These two animals bring fear to the hearts of men because of their power and ability to dominate. But at the end, God says that there is nothing on earth that is these creatures’ equal–a creature without fear. He is king of all that are proud! What is God talking about? Why this discussion of these fearful animals? Could it be that God is teaching Job about Satan and his downfall, pride?
Job repents and comes to a new understanding of God’s greatness and trustworthiness. God instructs the friends to offer sacrifice and have Job pray for them to avert God’s judgment. Elihu is not mentioned. We are not told why. After Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored Job to his former prosperity and gave him double all that he had lost. (Job 42:10) Job had seven more sons and three daughters. This is the same as before and implies that he would see his others in heaven as well! God does everything well!
This story has a happy ending and teaches us all valuable lessons of faith and trust in God. We won’t always have all the answers and we must be careful when trying to help those going through trial and affliction. We certainly don’t want to become like Job’s comforters! We can be thankful that God is in control and that He is merciful and answers prayer. We can also rest assured that God will work everything for good to those who love Him and keep the faith!
“Brothers, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we consider 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.” James 5:10-11