James 5: 7-12 - Stop Complaining
James 5: 7-12 - Stop Complaining
Patience is a Virtue. Have you heard that before? I am not sure of the origin of this statement, and I opted not to fall down a wormhole this morning, tracking that down. But I did gather the definition. It means the ability to wait for something without frustration; it is a useful skill and a good aspect of one's personality.
James shifts this teaching and his focus, starting in v7 of chapter 5 to the victims. James stresses that patience is a virtue that we must be patient and have the vision and hope of what is coming. He uses an illustration that these people would connect with farming.
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.” - James 5:7 NIV
You see, when we understand the mission we are on, when we know the end game, the reason for the struggle, and wait, we can be patient. Just like in farming, the farmers are willing to put all the work, labor, and effort in because they understand what comes at the harvest. The reward is great, and it’s a paycheck, an income, a table full of food, the harvest provides the security. This is what the farmer realizes, and because it is willing to be patient. It is also unusual in this analogy that the farmer is entirely out of control of the harvest; there is nothing the farmer can do to speed up the process of crop-producing. He must wait patiently.
“You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!” - James 5:8-9 NIV
James makes the connection for us, the realization of our mission, and the destination. Christ’s return is near, we must put our hope in that, and we must understand what that means. I am drawn back to James' words in chapter 4; you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Our time on earth, our time away from our creator, is such a short time in the sense of eternity, a vapor, a mist a tiny slice of time. But this time is critically important, and while we are here, we should not turn on one another. Don’t grumble against one another. I like how the Message says this:
“Friends, 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.” - James 5:9 MSG
Is there anything worse than a constant, never-ending conversation that is full of complaining? Ok, maybe there is something worse, but this is in my top 5 list. There are those people we all know that are just the negative Nancy types, the complaining about everything under the sun. If you don’t know these people, then my guess is you are that person. James here calls this out and specifically drives home that in these times, we must not complain, gripe and moan about each other. These times, the end times are severe enough; we must unite and come together and support each other, not backstab and complain about each other.
I have in mind a few people that are swallowed up on Facebook and social media, and this fuels the complaining. Constant streams of comments and sharing stupid posts and complaining about this or that. I am serious; nothing gets under my skin more. I need the grace and forgiveness of God on this topic. But, just yesterday, I fell into this trap...and I am sitting here typing feeling convicted. I don’t have social media on my phone, I spend near-zero time on social media for this reason and many others, but yesterday I noticed my YouTubeTV bill was going up a significant amount. So, I did a quick Google search on this and saw a topic that took me to Twitter. What did I do? Yeah, massive conviction, I clicked on it and replied to a Tweet complaining about it. SERIOUSLY!! One of the things that drives me crazy, I did just yesterday. I don’t Tweet, and I just had to get my quick thought out into the echo chamber of Twitter, and for what? To make me feel better for about 7 seconds? Yeah, I am pointing out the speck in other's eyes while I have a tree stuck in my own. Lord, forgive me!
The essence and the reality is this, when we truly live a life of loving God and loving others, we operate differently. A life focused on loving all our neighbors and people will push us to being patient with each other because we need others to be patient with us. Love drives us to unity, but not uniformity. For the love, let us stop our complaining. For the love, let us recognize our time is short, and let our minds be focused on the hope of Christ. For the love, let us be patient with others, and ourselves. Lord, as we step into this day, may our hearts and minds be focused on you.