James 5:7-8

Passage

Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the arrival of the Lord.  Look!  The farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth while being patient upon it until it receives the fall and spring rains.  You also be patient.  Strengthen your hearts because the coming of the Lord has drawn near.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The elephant in the room with respect to this passage is coming of Christ.  This is the moment to which all of Christ’s followers look.  This is the moment that we believe all will be made right in the world.  No longer will we have to live upside down and balance our faith with life around us.  It is a great day to which we should look forward.  It will be a glorious day when we will truly know completeness as God intended for us to know.

When you think of the return of the Lord, what do you think about?  Is it scary, glorious, wondrous, or some mix of all the above?

Second Thought:

The early Christians anticipated Christ to return in their lifetime.  When that didn’t happen, they became impatient.  They began to focus on things other than Christian faith.  They began to grumble against each other and become irritated at the circumstances of their life as they waited for Christ.  Their impatience with respect to their religious desire ended up causing strife rather than unity of believers.  Therefore James reminds all of his readers to be patient.  God will work as God knows best.  Our job is not to go ahead of God, but to wait and go behind Him.

Have you ever seen things go awry because of spiritual impatience?  Why do you think it is so easy for us as Christians to be impatient – especially as it pertains to God?

Third Thought:

As an example of being patient, James turns to an analogy.  He speaks about the farmer and the harvest.  The farmer knows that the harvest will not come until the autumn and winter rains fall.  Then the plants will grow again in spring.  But there is still the spring rains that will come and help the plants grow into maturity.  After the spring rains comes summer, in which the harvest will also come.  The farmer must be patient.  There is nothing that the farmer can do to hurry along the harvest except to wait for the time to be right.  So it is with us and God as well.

Do you see yourself as one who can patiently wait for the harvest?  Do you see yourself as being willing to let God work while you wait for an opportunity to reap what He has grown?  How is that a very humbling thought?  Why do we like to see ourselves as the movers and shakers and the ones who cause action and not simply the ones who reap what God has moved and shaken into existence?

Passage for Tomorrow: James 5:9-11