April 8 Daily Devotional

Scripture for Day 98—James 5:7–12

⁷ Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ⁸ You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ⁹ Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ¹⁰ As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. ¹² But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

Devotional:

"Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord" (v. 7). What will such Christian patience look like?

First, you will wait for the Lord. "Be patient, therefore, brothers … You also, be patient" (v. 7, 8a). Second, you will stand firm for the Lord. "Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand" (v. 8b). Third, you will press on in your Christian walk. "Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast" (v. 11). Fourth, you will be kind. Christian patience will come to expression in your words. On the one hand, you will abstain from complaining. "Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door" (v. 9). On the other hand, you will pursue truthfulness and trustworthiness. "But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation" (v. 12).

Taken together, these cover the gamut of Christian patience—wait, stand firm, press on, be kind. Start right now by acknowledging that God sovereignly ordains the times and seasons of your life. You will either die at just the right time or else Jesus will return at just the right time, whichever comes first. Your duty is to wait on the Lord. Then, add to godly waiting a sturdy resolve to pursue heaven and heavenly things. Fix your aim on glory. Don't settle for anything less. Endure through trials and temptations, pressing on toward your heavenly goal, the celestial city. All the while, use your words to build up and edify, not to tear down or destroy.

Remember what our Lord Jesus said, "the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:14). So, as a Christian, settle in for the long haul. There's no "celestial railroad" to heaven (Nathaniel Hawthorne).

You have to cope with all of life's difficulties. But if you are resting in Jesus as your Savior, then he will never leave you nor forsake you. "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.