The Judge Is Standing At
The Door!
You
rich people, listen to me. Cry and sob, because you will soon be suffering.
Your riches have
rotted. Moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver have lost their
brightness. Their dullness will give witness against you. Your
wanting more and more will eat your body like fire. You have stored up riches
in these last days.
You have even failed
to pay the workers who mowed your fields. Their pay is crying out against you.
The cries of those who gathered the harvest have reached the ears of the Lord
who rules over all.
You have lived an
easy life on earth. You have given yourselves everything you wanted. You have
made yourselves fat like cattle that will soon be butchered. You have judged
and murdered people who aren't guilty. And they weren't even opposing you.
Brothers
and sisters, be patient until the Lord comes. See how
the farmer waits for the land to produce its rich crop. See how patient he is
for the fall and spring rains. You too must be patient. You must stand firm.
The Lord will soon come back.
Brothers and sisters, don't find fault with one another. If you do, you
will be judged. And the Judge is standing at the door!
Brothers and sisters,
think about the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. They are an example
of how to be patient when you suffer. As you know, we think that people who
don't give up are blessed. You have heard that Job was patient. And you have
seen what the Lord finally did for him. The Lord is full of tender mercy and
loving concern.
James
5:1-11
The challenges and
crises of life can tax us to the very end of our strength, and in such times it
is easy to want to give up.
In Job’s example, we
find encouragement and the power to persevere in life’s darkest hours – power
rooted in God, who is compassionate and merciful. Even when life is painful and
hard, we can persevere because God is there. His mercy endures forever.
God
provides the power we need to persevere.
Our Daily Bread –