Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Indeed we call blessed those who showed endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
Patience. Jokes abound about this word. It is a required commodity - from the trivial, such as waiting in line or driving in traffic - to the traumatic, such as dealing with pain or struggling through hardships of any variety. Many of us have a love-hate relationship with the word. We love it when people are patient with us ... we hate it when we must be patient with others or when circumstances seem to linger and find no resolution.
What is it exactly? The Greek word that James uses is: makrothumeo. According to the Greek-English Lexicon, it means "state of emotional calm in the face of provocation or misfortune without complaint or irritation." Wow - without complaint or irritation. Really? Strong's Lexicon adds: "slow to anger, slow to punish, slow in avenging".
The question that bombards my mind is: Why? It doesn't change the circumstance so what difference does it make if I am patient or not?
James offers some reasons why it matters. First, it matters because the Lord is near. I have a question for you ... do you behave better when you are in the presence of someone who matters to you ... someone you value? I tend to. I have a friend who is very careful about what she eats. She eats well ... healthy. I eat so much better and wiser when I am with her. By myself? That's another story. The Lord is near. The Lord's presence is with you. How would He handle your situation? How would He handle the person requiring patience? He is near. So practice patience.
Second, James encourages us to be patient because when we are not, our tendency is to attack some "other" ... grumbling against them or worse. That violates God's law that we "love our neighbor as ourselves". We do find ourselves wanting to "punish" someone! We have no right to judge that "other" ... God is The Judge. And He is near. So practice patience.
1 Corinthians 13:4 ... "Love is patient"
Third, James wants his fellow believers to practice patience in trouble because it provides another way for us to reflect the person of the Lord. The Lord is compassionate and merciful. Can we show no compassion and no mercy and still expect the "others" around us to get a glimpse of God through us? Remember, our goal is transformation into the image of Christ. Our goal is transformation ... not comfort, not getting our way, not ease, not pleasure ... transformation. So practice patience.
2 Peter 3:9 ... "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, ..."
This is no trivial matter. We sing the little children's song, "Have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry. When you are impatient you only start to worry. Remember, remember that God is patient too. And think of all the times when others have to wait for you." And with that we can relegate the whole issue of patience to children needing not to throw a fit when they don't immediately get their way. (Actually, not a bad lesson for adults, either.) It's that deeper level that plagues us as we mature - when life doesn't work out as planned - when the illness just doesn't get better - when the pain won't quit - when the spouse refuses to come home - when the child's strong will turns into open rebellion - when that loved one just won't come to faith. I think that is the kind of patience, the state of emotional calm, James references.
As you pray about yourself in relation to this subject ... reflect on the following quotations:
"Patience means living out the belief that God orders everything for the spiritual good of his children. ... Patience does not just grin and bear things, stoic-like, but accepts them cheerfully as therapeutic workouts planned by a heavenly trainer who is resolved to get you up to full fitness." J. I. Packer
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." Leo Tolstoy
Lord, strengthen our resolve to live patient lives ... to reflect a calm demeanor that refuses to panic ... to walk fully trusting Your hand in every aspect of our lives. We choose trust ... forgive our lapses in it! And we will choose it again.
No comments:
Post a Comment