Be
Patient, Therefore, Beloved,
Until The Coming Of
The Lord
Come
now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend
a year there, doing business and making money.” Yet you do not even know what
tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist
that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you ought to
say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you
boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the
right thing to do and fails to do it, commits sin.
James 4:13-17
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.
James 5:7-11
Have
you given thanks to the Lord for what you have been given? On Thanksgiving we
tend to think of the turkey dinner, but there is so much more to be thankful
for.
As we
give thanks for material needs that have been supplied, it is essential to
remember that our plans are uncertain and our lives can pass too quickly. Jesus
encourages us to be like a farmer waiting for the crops to grow and mature.
As we
thank God for His faithful provision for our needs, turn your thoughts to the
promised return of Jesus Christ. In patient expectation, we live for Him and
look for the day when He will come to gather His glorious harvest home.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Our Daily Bread –