Thursday, November 10, 2011

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Seehow the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.  You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!  My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who tendure. You have heard of tthe perseverance of Job and seen tthe end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.  James 5:7-11

I’m not very good at surprises.  I’m way too impatient.  I want to know, and I want to know now.  It’s not good, but it’s something I am working on.   Today James tells us to “be patient… until the coming of the Lord.”  James says that the Lord is coming back!  How incredible is that.  In the context of this paragraph, He is coming back to make everything right.  The oppressed will be set free!  What incredible news.  I don’t want to be patient, yet that is what James commands us to be!

What do I do until he comes?  James uses the illustration of a farmer waiting to harvest. Does a farmer waiting for a harvest sit idle?  No way!  He works the fields!  James says to “establish your hearts.”  Our hearts need to be right with God, ready for Him to come back.  What does that look like?  Being right with our brothers in Christ (vs. 9).  Patience can wear thing and we can respond like Jesus isn’t coming back.  James says, He’s at the door!  He is about to come.  Don’t grumble, be ready! (v.9)

James also uses the illustration of some of the prophets.  They knew that God was going to do something incredible in the future, and had to suffer in the present knowing what was coming.  They could deal with today, knowing that God’s compassion and mercy would be here tomorrow.

Application:       Do you really believe that Christ is  coming back?  If he came back today would your heart be right with Him?  Are you ready?  Is there someone you need to get right with?  You may not have tomorrow.  Get it right today!

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and tluxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.  6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.  James 5:4-6

The rich people James was warning got their wealth by using other people through fraud and unfair treatment.  James tells them that God loves the people they have used.  He has noticed and will respond.  When we defraud and use people we should know that even if it seems like we’ll get away with it,  God knows about it.  In fact, James goes on to say, “You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.”  After robbing and oppressing other to accumulate their wealth, these rich people spent the rest of their life passionately pursuing their own desires.  The idea talked about here of “the day of slaughter” is a very descriptive metaphor of the judgment of God.  We are always “blessed to be a blessing.”  These rich people thought that their extra was for them, and that because they could then they should.  The oppressive rich were using the political and judicial powers and influence to continue to gain their wealth.  They had to make wrong right to be able to continue to heap wealth.

Application:       Know this:  Unrighteous gain  leads to unrighteous living and the consequences of unrighteous living & the judgment of God.  Is there someone you have used, abused, or  lied to in order to get something from them.  The best thing you can do is seek their forgiveness and pay them back!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.  James 5:1-3

James has a message for what I will call the oppressive rich in the next few verses.  Now, just two disclaimer:  A rich person during this time was someone who had more than they need, so most of us reading this would qualify.  Secondly, James does not have a problem with someone being rich; just someone becoming rich in a wrong way.  This is why he says, “weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.”  I don’t know about you, but usually I don’t think of rich people as being the ones who should be worried about misery coming.   James seems to think that the miseries are on the way. What are these miseries coming for these rich people he’s addressing?

James tells these rich people that their “riches are corrupted.”  They have acquired their riches through oppression and dishonesty (look ahed to verse 4).  This approach to wealth building is obviously wrong and very risky.  It can be lost at any time.  He tells them that their “garments are moth eaten.”  Clothes at that time were expensive. To have more than one pair meant you were rich, yet theirs were being destroyed.  He says that their gold and silver are cankered and have rust on them.  He is using language about their riches that speak to the idea that their extra isn’t really helping them.

I believe that James is warning people who have extra to be careful to know why they have extra, and to be careful about how they get extra.
Application:    Here is a thought today about those of us who have more than we need.  Why have we been so blessed?  What responsibilities do we have as a result of being so blessed?  Also, have I gotten what I have in a way that would please God?  More on this subject tomorrow!