Passage: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+5.7-10

Scripture

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.

Observation

James encourages us to be patient as we wait for the Lord’s return. We should be like farmers who wait for the rain to bring on the harvest. We must have that kind of patience because the Lord is coming.

We must not grumble about our fellow believers, because the Judge- Jesus- is standing outside the door and about to come in to bring judgement.

Application

Faith and patience go hand in hand. Sometimes God intervenes quickly and miraculously. Often He intervenes slowly and gently. We see the goal of our prayers and want Him to act immediately, but God moves more slowly than we would like.

There is a right time for our prayer to be answered. It may be today, next year or 20 years away. Will my faith and persistence in prayer last over that time scale?

The farmer looks for the rain because his livelihood depends on that water coming down from heaven. The farmer cannot control the rain, and so his life is literally in God’s hands. He calls out to the Lord, believing for the rain that will bring life.

All of this waiting and praying is about the valuable harvest. The harvest is more than money in the bank- it is fulfilment and vindication of a lifestyle and a season of work. Every farmer I know will pluck a head of grain, sniff and taste it. They know by looking if the crop is good, but they need the personal touch- the taste and smell of their beautiful harvest.

We have a beautiful harvest- not our own but the Lord’s harvest. A harvest of souls who are coming into the kingdom. This harvest cannot be brought in my machines. It needs the personal touch- every head of grain individually touched and brought in.

Prayer

Lord I understand that your time scales are not the same as mine, that you deal by generations while I live in minutes. Help me to stay in step with you. Show me the harvest that is waiting to be brought in. Amen.

Scripture
Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.

Observation
When we are suffering we should pray; when we are happy, praise; if we are sick call for the elders and seek prayer. Such prayer, offered in faith, will gain healing and forgiveness.

We should confess our sins to one another and pray for one another to be healed. An ordinary person who is righteous before the Lord can achieve much through prayer. Elijah is our example of this.

If someone wanders from the Lord, we must seek to bring them back.

Application
James does not say that sin leads to sickness or that sickness is caused by sin. However he does link the two. If we sin, we are out of fellowship with God and therefore cannot so easily receive His healing.

The early christian church practised a high level of community. People prayed and rejoiced together. They prayed for the sick and confessed their sins to one another. All of this was done voluntarily and in an atmosphere of love and acceptance of one another.

In out highly privatised culture, we are not used to this kind of transparency. It can start with us reaching out And being honest with our brothers and sisters in our cell groups and in larger church gatherings.

Prayer
Holy Spirit, please help me to grow my faith to believe your word, to pray for healing and to be honest in my church. Amen.

Scripture
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you.

Observation
If you claim to be spiritually wise, you must show it in your deeds and in humility. God’s wisdom is not marked by bitterness or envy, but by purity, peace and mercy.

Fights and quarrels in the church are caused by fleshly desires. People covet things they cannot have because these desires are not submitted to God.

We must submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and then draw near to God, humbling ourselves before Him.

Application
Every part of the christian’s life, every desire and ambition must be submitted to God. This means dying to what we want in order to live to Christ.

Many of the problems in church communities arise because people want what they want. They put their own desires first. It might be that someone wants a leadership position held by someone else. It might be a preference for a style of worship.

If we all demand our own way, the love of God is not manifesting itself among us. If we all submit ourselves to God and to one another, the devil will not get a look in.

Prayer
Father, help me to surrender entirely to you and to your plans for me. Amen.

Scripture
Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Observation
To give attention to the rich at the expense of the poor is a sin. It shows our judgement is guided by evil motives.

To break one of God’s laws makes us as guilty as the person who breaks all of the laws. When we interact with others we must show mercy in order to receive mercy from God.

Faith is not real unless it shows itself in good works. Abraham’s faith was counted to him as righteousness at the point where he prepared to sacrifice his son. His faith was shown in costly obedience to God.

Application
Faith is more than a belief about God. James reminds us that even the demons know about God, but they are not saved.

True faith comes out in the actions of a life transformed by Christ. That is not to say that christians never sin. No, we are on a journey from sin to holiness.

True faith is about trusting in Jesus for all things. It results in a different way of thinking and of living. No more are we motivated by the kind of selfishness that causes us to ignore the poor or that condemns people who are not in our group.

True faith leads us to express love to other people regardless of their social standing, to put others’ needs ahead of our own.

Prayer
Let my faith be shown in a life transformed by your love, Jesus. Amen.

Scripture

Do not merely listen to the word of God and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Observation

Every good gift comes from heaven, from the Father who never changes. He is the one who chose to give us birth.

We need to be quick to listen, slow to speak and even slower to anger. We must get rid of all moral filth.

It does no good just to listen to the word- we must obey it as well. Otherwise we are like someone who after looking into a mirror forgets what he looks like.

True religion results in a controlled tongue, care for widows and orphans, and holiness of living.

Application

Faith has to result in a change of life. We don’t need to copy what other believers do, but instead allow God to change us from the inside.

Reading Scripture and watching Bible teachers are good. But we need to let the divine word of God take root in our heart and put it into practice.

It is sad that many christian live lives that are indistinguishable in character from those of their unsaved neighbours. If we let the word of God dwell in us, then everything about us will change.

Prayer

Father, please show me what you want me to change about the way I do life and grant me the grace to change. Convict me of my sin and prompt me to care for the poor and vulnerable people in my neighbourhood. Amen.