Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends.
In our very fast paced world, I wonder how your patience is doing this summer? How is your patience with the government of your country, patience with your family, patience with technology, patience with your church…patience with yourself, and finally patience with God?
In our journey with James, we’ve come to these words today: “Be patient, then friends, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You also, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near…” (James 5:7,8) Regardless of where you live in our great big world, we all understand the patience of a farmer, don’t we? In America these summer months are PRIME growing season for the farmers, and we know American farms help feed the world! I’ve often heard this phrase regarding the corn crop in the upper Midwest of America: “it should be knee high by the 4th of July”.
But of course that depends on many things… farmers getting in the field early enough to plant after the winter; no frost after the young sprouts burst through the soil; just the right balance of rain and sunshine; no hail storms or deluge rains which would destroy the young plants or wash them away. And after the farmer does his hard work of spring planting… he waits, and waits, and waits, keeping a close eye on the weather and his fragile crop. Of course the farmer knows he cannot make rain, nor can he prevent frost, nor can he clear the sky of clouds and bring sunshine… only God can do all those things. So the farmer waits. . . for GOD …to do what only God can do! How about you, my friends? Are you waiting TODAY for God to do something in your life or in our world, that only God can do? Is it overdue according to your timetable?
Let’s pause here for just a moment. What are some other really good examples of patience that you can think of? How about a pregnant mother whose due date was yesterday? Or parents of a young soldier whose ‘leave’ is scheduled to begin tomorrow, if he is not called up again to a ‘military engagement’? Or speaking of ‘engagements’, what about fiancé’s whose wedding date is next week? Yes, our world is filled with situations where PATIENCE is required. Have you noticed there are many times when we become IMpatient with the pace of time? Often we want time to run faster so the long anticipated event, which has been in the distance so long, will quickly arrive. Other times we want time to slow down so we can enjoy the precious experience, right? So what words would best describe your reputation when it comes to your PATIENCE?
As James is calling us to patience, do you notice that twice in these verses James refers to ‘the Lord’s coming’? James, you may remember, was the 1/2 brother of Jesus. Perhaps you recall that on the day Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives, up into the sky in full view of His friends, two angels appeared and said “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) It’s very possible James was an eyewitness to that event! A few weeks before Jesus Himself had been talking with His disciples describing various events related to what many call ‘the end times’ or the ‘end of the age’. Matthew records that conversation for us in his chapter 24 & 25. At one point Jesus had said “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… so you must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” (Matt. 25:42,44)
As a result, many followers of Jesus, to whom James was writing, expected that Jesus would return to earth during their lifetime, or certainly before the end of the first century! But here we are 20 centuries later, and still we wait for Jesus’ return! I wonder what you think about that? Has Jesus forgotten? Has the plan changed and Jesus isn’t coming back? Will this world and life here simply continue on and on as it has for centuries, forever into the future? No my friends, there has been no change made in God’s ultimate purpose and plans. Paul’s description of the return of the Lord Jesus is still our imminent anticipation: “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive…at the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, and with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Encourage each other with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Patience for a scheduled event on our calendars is a matter of time passing at its normal pace, and that event occurring on schedule, right? But patience for God to do what only God can do, in God’s time is a different matter, isn’t it? So James is challenging us to live in patience with God and with each other confident that God is Sovereign over all things, at all times, in all places, and therefore God will accomplish His purpose, by His power, in His time, and always for His glory! Do you agree with that?
Would you consider this rather radical statement: our involvement in what God is doing around our world to accomplish His purpose is in some ways a risk for God. What, a risk for God? What I mean is this: most of us are so impatient, we tend to take control over situations to make them happen the way we want for the accomplishment of our desires, according to our timetable. Yet how often are our desires, our timetable, not at all in sync with God’s desires or God’s timetable? Can you imagine if God allowed you and me to stand in His throne room for a day or two and watch God work His purposes in our world while involving 7.7 billion people, more than 150 governments, multi billion dollar, very powerful, global corporations, etc.? And how much of the personal ambitions and objectives of those 7.7 billion people and those governments and those big businesses run COUNTER to what God is trying to accomplish in our world for His glory and our good? So how does God do that? How does God allow humanity to have and exercise our free will, while at the same time God is working His purpose in our world?
That’s part of the reason Peter wrote this: “Do not forget this one thing: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is PATIENT with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance… what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (2 Peter 3:8-12) My friends, do you hear James and Paul and Peter echoing each other? God holds the past, present and future firmly in His hand. We are living in a time of God’s Patience, as God deeply desires that EVERY person will have an opportunity to encounter the Gospel, trust Jesus and experience forgiveness of their sin and new life in Jesus Christ here on earth, and also live with the assurance of eternity with Jesus in heaven after they die.
So this summer, wherever we are, let’s watch the daily miracle of the grass, the gardens and the farm fields growing… and as we do let’s give frequent thought to what God honoring patience should look like in your life and mine. Would you agree ‘God honoring patience’ is patience that TRUSTS God and God’s Sovereignty over all things at all times in all places? So what needs to change in our attitudes so we live ‘God honoring patience’? And let’s give some serious thought to God’s patience with our sinful world that increasingly is rejecting God… and yet His overall purpose has not changed. God deeply desires that every day, everywhere, more and more human beings are rescued from the desperation of their suffocating and condemning sin bondage, and experience new life with Jesus! Oh aren’t we thankful for God’s patience with us and His faithfulness!
Here’s a song from Africa that I hope will help you worship God today with “God honoring patience”.
Today’s Scripture is James 5:7, 8.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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