Concerning Patience

We live in an on demand society... Want to watch a certain movie? Not to worry, open up any number of streaming services, pay a few bucks and you have your movie... No movie rental store, no need to have a huge stack of VHS or DVDs laying around...

Likewise, want to research a topic? Just pull out the phone, pick up the iPad, or open the computer up and ask Siri or Google depending on your preference... In 10 minutes on the computer you can amass more data than you could in a week in the library...

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking these things... None of these things are problems on their own but what they and numerous other things just like it have cost us is the ability to wait. We have lost the discipline of patience....

James addresses the need for patience in this weeks passage 5:7-12... He gives us two little words that bring us so much trouble... "be patient..." 

Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.

Brothers, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!

Brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name as an example of suffering and patience. See, we count as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

Now above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. Your “yes” must be “yes,” and your “no” must be “no,” so that you won’t fall under judgment.

Twice in verse 7, once in 8 and 10 and then verse 11 talks about enduring which comes as a result of patience it is pretty clear what the theme of these four verses is... Our need to "be patient" until the Lord comes....  

James gives us three great examples in the farmer, the prophet, and the Lord's servant Job. Hope to see you on Sunday as we will spend time looking at each of these in more detail. 

However, I want to leave you a nugget to chew on til then...  In each of these pictures of patience we are called not just to wait upon the Lord but also to honor the Lord in what we do while we wait.

What are you doing while you wait?   

See ya Sunday!