 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.
Patience in Suffering 7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. The Prayer of Faith 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. Meditation “Good fruit” (3:17) grows from the Word implanted (1:21) into a heart transformed by God’s grace, watered with wisdom from above. A “faith that saves” (2:14) has heart fruit of humility, patience, and prayer. The rich receive warning because they hope in the treasures “laid up in these last days” (1-6). James warns the rich to cease self-exaltation. Wisdom seeks first God and His kingdom, laying treasures in Heaven with faith that the King will return. James emphasizes the return of Jesus, repeating, “The Lord is coming (7) … the Lord is coming soon (8-9) … to judge (9-10).” The Lord is coming and He is compassionate and gracious (11), yes, but the Lord is just. And faith waits for Jesus to return by living with patience, prayerfully trusting God’s promises. Patience is illustrated in four ways: Farmers are patient to trust God’s growth (7). Prophets were patient to trust God’s sovereign promises (8-11). God’s family is patient by being truth tellers (12) and powerfully praying (13-20). Patience is fruit evidenced by wisdom and humility to participate with God through prayer at all times (13-16), trusting the power of prayer to water the earth with Heaven’s resources (17-18). Prayer connects us with “God’s reality” as prayer connects us with the promises and purposes of God. The righteous open their hearts to be watered with wisdom from above to grow fruit from the implanted word, living in humble faith that patiently waits on the return of our King. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you from today’s reading? Why? -Where do you long to see the fruit of wisdom grow from the word implanted in your heart, especially in the categories of humility, patience, and prayer? -Jesus is the treasury of all wisdom (Colossians 2:2-3) and He longs to water your heart with His grace, love, forgiveness, and Spirit. Ask Jesus to water your soul. Ask Jesus to flood your heart with wisdom from above to grow the fruit of wisdom from the word implanted in your heart. Key Verse 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Comments are closed.
|