In the opening verses of his Epistle, James showed that patience was a
necessary ingredient for one to benefit from trials. It would help the believers to endure trials and reach
maturity so that they would lack nothing in life. He had also
established patience as a virtue that every genuine believer ought to seek
after. Conscious that the pursuit of patience would be made harder in the face
of difficult times, he sought to challenge them to go for it nonetheless. From
the lives of three groups of people, he showed the believers how to cultivate
patience. Now in six verses, he
showed them how to develop patience through the examples of three people: the
farmer, the prophets and Job.
For us believers, the Second Coming of Christ is the finishing
line. In order to reach the finishing line, we need patience. Therefore, in
verse 7, James began by issuing a command for the believers to be patient. The
question is: How can one be patient in difficult times? James gave the first key
in verse 7. It is by focusing on the Second Coming of the Lord. He wanted them
to bear in mind that their finishing point is the second return of the Lord.
That was the target he wanted them to focus on. He directed their attention to
the patience of the farmer. James showed himself to be accustomed to the
climatic condition of Palestine. The early rains usually would fall to soften
up the grounds for planting and the later rains would be required to make the
harvest fruitful. Just like a farmer would plough his field, plant his seed and
then wait patiently for the rain to ensure the harvest; believers who have
trusted the Lord must also now wait patiently for His Return.
While waiting for the Lord’s Return, James next exhorted them to
strengthen their hearts. He was calling on them to harness their inner resolve
and courage and not be afraid to go through the tough oppressive situations.
Why? For the Second Coming of the Lord is near. Not only were the believers
called to strengthen their inner courage, they were also told to stop
complaining and murmuring against one another. James seemed to understand the
human nature. He knew that the people closest to us are often those that would
get the brunt of our negative treatment when we cannot get at our oppressors.
To stop them from tearing each other up, he reminded them of the Soon Coming
Judge and His judgment. This, he reckoned, would stop them from getting at each
other.
In verse 10, he turned to call on his readers to look at the lives
of the prophets. Many of them suffered in their service for the Lord, but they
all endured hardship with great patience. James wanted the believers to
recognize that they too would experience suffering. However, like the prophets
of old who patiently endured, they too had to endure for the Lord.
In verses 11-12, James turned
to the life of Job and used it to challenge those believers to be patient. We
will recall that Job
suffered a great deal. He lost all that he owned and everyone he valued. Yet he
kept the end before his eyes. Hence, we find him trusting the Lord despite his
trying times.
God does not expect pretense, as if we enjoy hardship. He knows
the kind of substance we are made up of. He even understands our doubts. What
He requires of us in tough time is to recognize that He is sovereign. He
expects us to recognize that He is in the process of working out all things for
our good, even when we don’t understand His ways. God has a plan much larger
than our ability to comprehend. He wants us to stay faithful in trusting Him as
a good God.
To round up this segment, we hear a call to be people of
integrity. There is no necessity to swear by heaven or earth when we are true
to our words. In the light of the Coming Judgment, we believers should just say
what we mean and mean what we say, and nothing further is required.
No comments:
Post a Comment