Patience Springs Forth from True Faith
Patience Springs Forth from True Faith
5/13 Reading Portions: Numbers 22; Psalms 62-63; Isaiah 11-12; James 5
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5/13 Reading Portions: Numbers 22; Psalms 62-63; Isaiah 11-12; James 5
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You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:8
A PATIENT FAITH
Because saving faith is a grace which causes us to seek wisdom from above (Jas 1), because it is a living faith which is accompanied by gospel works (Jas 2), because it is a responsible faith which carries with it accountability before God (Jas 3), and because it is a faith which produces humility since the truth of God’s sovereignty is revealed powerfully by the indwelling presence of God (Jas 4), our faith can, and must, endure our situations and circumstances with patience (Jas 5). The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is at hand; therefore, as the farmer awaits the harvest after planting, through weather both favorable and inclement, through droughts or flood waters, through blistering heat or freezing cold, we too must patiently acknowledge that our sovereign God brings the increase. When we understand this, grumbling seems utterly ridiculous because God, not other men, is the righteous Judge (Jas 5:9). Vows, apart from a simple yes or no, are also ludicrous because a vow, especially a distant one, suggests we know the time of the coming of the Lord; or it implies we are presumptuous with regard to the last moment of our lives on earth (Jas 5:12). God is sovereign over all, and thus, we endure patiently with prayers of faith, submitting unto Christ’s will and purposes according to His sovereign plan (Jas 5:13-20).
No, this little letter from James, the Lord’s younger half-brother, is not a legalistic treatise from some Jew in Jerusalem. Instead, it is a wonderful encouragement to the saints of God. It is an epistle full of grace and God’s glory in, by, and through our Lord Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! What a Savior!
Endure with patience moments we
Do dwell upon this sod;
Each second and each breath that’s breathed
Is in the hand of God.