Daily Bible Reading – 9.10.2021
James 5:10-11, Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
Including yesterday’s Scripture, James includes three examples concerning patience/perseverance: the farmer, the prophets, and Job.
The prophets who spoke on behalf of God often experienced affliction and responded with long-suffering patience. Although James refers to “the prophets” as a group, Jeremiah stands out as an example who endured mistreatment with patience. He was put in the stocks, thrown into prison, and lowered into a miry dungeon; yet he patiently persisted in his ministry.
There’s no doubt that Job had bitter moments and plenty of questions to ask God. Did you catch the difference in how James describes the farmer and prophets in comparison to Job? The first two, he extols their patience, but he describes Job as persevering in his faithfulness to God.
We often hear of the patience of Job, but he was not that patient. However, he was an excellent example of one who persevered through the most trying circumstances anyone could imagine facing.
His story is proof that “the Lord is full of compassion and mercy,” as we see in “what the Lord finally brought about” for him: God gave him twice as much as he had before.
To sum up verses 7-11, James urges his readers not to fight back but to exercise patience toward those who oppress them. He also calls on them to faithfully persevere in the midst of trying circumstances.
Question to Consider:
In your journey right now, do you need to exercise more patience towards people or a persevering spirit in your challenging circumstances?
Weekly Memory Verse:
James 1:2-3, Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.