Devotional Thoughts | James Pt. 14

Patience and Perseverance

We are nearing the end of our devotional study of the Book of James, and I hope it has been beneficial to those who have tuned in to the podcast over the course of the last few months.

On a personal level, it has been beneficial for me to reflect on these truths and to see how they have been evidenced in my life and in those I have had the privilege of serving over the course of the last forty plus years. It has been a reminder of the timelessness of the Word of God to our lives as we remember this letter was written to the early church in the first century AD.

James 5:7 – 11 [NASB] 7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.

As James begins to close the letter to the early church, he reminds them of the importance of patience as they await the coming of the Lord.

This of course has been the hope of the church since the ascension of Jesus as recorded in Acts 1:9 – 11 [NASB] 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

Patience is necessary as we make our spiritual journey through life. In fact, as we remember in the first few verses of this letter James reminded the early church of the importance of patience which was produced in their lives as a result of the tests and trials they endured along the way. For patience and faith were produced in the crucible of adversity.  James 1:2 – 4 [NKJV] 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces [a]patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be [b]perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 

To illustrate the importance of patience, James points us to the farmers, who plant their seed, then wait patiently for the rains to come. A lot is happening in the unseen realm before the shoot pushes its way through the soil and grows to maturity. So too, a lot is happening in the unseen realm of the spirit. Patience is essential as we wait for the coming of the Lord.

In the process of waiting James exhorts the listener not to become distracted by their circumstances. We remember how the Children of Israel became distracted by their circumstances as they exited Egypt and began to grumble against Moses. This is a picture of the loss of perspective as they forgot God’s miraculous intervention in their hopeless circumstance, and the raising up of a deliverer to free them from the bondage of slavery. Once delivered they began to grumble against the deliverer and to evidence impatience.

While we may think how foolish the Children of Israel were to grumble against Moses, is not the same dynamic evidenced in the lives of some who having been delivered from the slavery and bondage of sin by Jesus Christ, the Deliverer. In the process of waiting, they have turned on him and, on their brothers, and sisters in Christ with grumbling and judgement.

Listen to what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6:7 – 10 [NASB] 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. 10 So then, [c]while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

James points to the prophets of old as examples of patient endurance. The Lord allowed them, by faith, to see what was coming. Unfortunately, they often suffered persecution, and death as they waited for the fulfillment of the prophecies.

I close today with a reading of 2 Peter 3 where the Apostle Peter reminded the early church of the same things James is sharing here.  Listen and be encouraged.

2 Peter 3 [NLT] This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. 2 I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.

3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”

5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.[a]

11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.

14 And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

15 And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— 16 speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.

17 You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. 18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.