CRCF\u201d\u201d8\/22\/10<\/p>\n
ME<\/p>\n
When it comes to waiting, I\u201d\u2122m not a role model! I don\u201d\u2122t like to wait in lines. I don\u201d\u2122t like to wait for a meal\u201d\u201din fact, if my blood sugar gets low, watch out! So I keep food stashed in my office here and at the bank! I hate having an appointment, say with a doctor, and then having to wait far past the time of that appointment. I\u201d\u2122m just not good at waiting\u201d\u201dwhich requires patience!<\/p>\n
WE<\/p>\n
How are YOU at waiting? Is patience something that comes easily for you?<\/p>\n
\u201cEndurance is patience concentrated.\u201d
\nThomas Carlyle<\/p>\n
So you\u201d\u2122re no better at waiting than I am?<\/p>\n
But you know what?<\/p>\n
I CAN patiently wait for things like my birthday, vacation, Christmas\u201d\u201dbecause what happens on those occasions is worth the wait! And those occasions help me to even be patient while I\u201d\u2122m waiting\u201d\u201dbecause I know those good days are coming! It all depends on what I\u201d\u2122m waiting for!<\/p>\n
Worth the Wait!
\nJames 5:7-12<\/p>\n
Because Jesus is coming back soon, we can patiently and faithfully wait through our trials.<\/p>\n
GOD\/YOU<\/p>\n
James 5:7-12 (NLT)<\/p>\n
7 Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord\u201d\u2122s return.<\/p>\n
First off, Jesus IS coming back!<\/p>\n
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NLT)<\/p>\n
For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then together with them, we who are still alive and remain on earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with Him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words.<\/p>\n
Also, we need to note here that these folks were facing oppression and economic injustice because of their faith in Jesus from rich unbelievers (see vv. 1-6).<\/p>\n
Unknown<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your faith is no good in times of trouble, then it is just no good. If it is only good for when you don\u201d\u2122t need it, then you don\u201d\u2122t need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
7 Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.<\/p>\n
8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.<\/p>\n
Message<\/p>\n
8 Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.<\/p>\n
1 John 2:28 (NLT)<\/p>\n
And now, dear children, continue to live in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame.
\n9 Don\u201d\u2122t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look\u201d\u201dthe Judge is standing at the door!
\nMessage<\/p>\n
9Friends, don’t complain about each other. A far greater complaint could be lodged against you, you know. The Judge is standing just around the corner.<\/p>\n
Griping about other people is so natural when life is tough, isn\u201d\u2122t it? We want to put the blame on someone for our difficulties, for our pain. And often, it\u201d\u2122s those nearest and dearest to us that get the complaints\u201d\u201dwhether it\u201d\u2122s our family or maybe someone in our church family.<\/p>\n
What James points out here is that<\/p>\n
griping\/complaining\/grumbling about others just proves that we\u201d\u2122ve forgotten how close Jesus\u201d\u2122 return is!<\/p>\n
And it means we\u201d\u2122ve forgotten Whose has a plan and purpose, and is ultimately in control of, our trials!<\/p>\n
James 1:2-4 (NLT)<\/p>\n
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when you faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.<\/p>\n
God allows trials in our lives to make us more like Jesus! If we\u201d\u2122ve got a gripe about our circumstances, it\u201d\u2122s ultimately with God, not someone else! (even if a person is involved).<\/p>\n
Oswald Chambers<\/p>\n
\u201cTo choose suffering makes no sense at all; to choose God\u201d\u2122s will in the midst of our suffering makes all the sense in the world.\u201d
\n10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
\n12 But most of all, my brothers and sisters, never take an oath, by heaven or earth or anything else. Just say a simple yes or no, so that you will not sin and be condemned.
\nNow, the connection of verse 12 with the rest of what we\u201d\u2122ve read is not as obvious as we\u201d\u2122d like. I think Eugene Peterson helps us get why James talks about this now in his Message Translation:
\nMessage
\n12And since you know that he cares, let your language show it. Don’t add words like “I swear to God” to your own words. Don’t show your impatience by concocting oaths to hurry up God. Just say yes or no. Just say what is true. That way, your language can’t be used against you.
\nWhen we\u201d\u2122re waiting out a trial, it\u201d\u2122s tough. And we get impatient and want it to be over\u201d\u201dwe want the pain or, at least the strain, to end! And so we start getting REAL serious! Like if we swear we\u201d\u2122ll do something, surely things will change! Ever been there? You want SO BAD to change your circumstances that you take you\u201d\u2122re commitment to action up a notch and SWEAR that you\u201d\u2122ll do it!<\/p>\n
James says that patient waiting just says yes, knows God\u201d\u2122s in control and does what you\u201d\u2122ve said\u201d\u201dno impatient swearing necessary!<\/p>\n
Because Jesus is coming back soon, we can patiently and faithfully wait through our trials.<\/p>\n
WE<\/p>\n
Matthew 10:38-39<\/p>\n
If you refuse to take up your cross and follow Me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will find it.<\/p>\n
Because Jesus is coming back soon, we can patiently and faithfully wait through our trials.<\/p>\n
Charles Spurgeon<\/p>\n
“I have always looked back to times of trial with a kind of longing, not to have them return, but to feel the strength of God as I felt it then, to feel the power of faith as I felt it then, to hang on to God\u201d\u2122s powerful arm as I hung on to it then, and see God at work as I saw him then.”<\/p>\n
Because Jesus is coming back soon, we can patiently and faithfully wait through our trials.<\/p>\n
Celebration of the Lord\u201d\u2122s Supper<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CRCF\u201d\u201d8\/22\/10 ME When it comes to waiting, I\u201d\u2122m not a role model! I don\u201d\u2122t like to wait in lines. I don\u201d\u2122t like to wait for a meal\u201d\u201din fact, if my blood sugar gets low, watch out! So I keep food … Continue reading