From James 5:7-12

“Patience is a virtue.” Many of us have heard that phrase at some point in our lives, and it’s true – not necessarily helpful – but true nonetheless.  Patience is a fruit of the spirit and something that we are supposed to cultivate as Christians.  That being said, a lot of times when we talk about patience we are thinking in the short term.  We are thinking we’ll have to wait for a few days, or a few weeks, or a few months, or (if we’re extra good at patience) a few years.  But James reframes that for us a little bit saying, “be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.”  Patient if suffering until the second coming of Jesus – which could be after our lives as we view them now are over!

There are times where we might encourage one another to be patient in suffering and point each other to our God that can alleviate our suffering.  That’s great, but I think it’s also worthwhile to temper expectations. God might miraculously heal you, He might dramatically remove the source of your suffering, and He might do it in the short term.  On the other hand, you might have to live with that suffering until Jesus returns. In the meantime, we remain steadfast in our faith and consistently point towards the compassion and mercy of Christ – even if we don’t experience that restoration until the second coming.

Focus on God

We are reminded in these verses that God graciously promises us full and perfect restoration.

Function in Our Lives

We are encouraged to expand the scope of our patience.

Topics to Pray About                                                               

• Thank God for the restoration He promises.
• Confess to God the times where you become discouraged because your expectations weren’t met.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to conform you to Christ.

In His Service,

J. LeBorious