Be Patient

On to James 5, the last chapter of this book:

You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you…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.

The beginning of this chapter is a warning to those who seek riches, those who seek only that which fulfills all of their desires for pleasure, those with “fat hearts,” those who live a self-absorbed life apart from God.

And after that warning comes the instruction to be patient for the coming of the Lord, using the analogy of a farmer waiting for the fruits of his seed that he has planted.  He not only waits, but he waits patiently, for the early and late rains.

Impatience is one of the characteristics we see in our kids at an early age.  They want their milk, and they want it now!  They want that toy, and they must have it now!  They want their way, and they stomp until they get it now!

However, as any good parent does…she teaches her kids to wait for what they want.  

Waiting teaches us patience.  Waiting sometimes is realizing that what we wanted wasn’t really what we wanted, or needed, after all.  And waiting patiently results in a thankful heart when that want is fulfilled.

When we go after riches, or things in this life that can burn up and go away as easily as they come, we are not wise.

But when we are patient, serving the Lord with gladness of heart, we can be sure that the rain will come, and the “precious produce of the soil” will appear in due time.

Be patient.