JAN 9

James 5:7-10
Memorise James 5:10
“Be patient therefore, brethren…”

DO YOU HAVE LONGSUFFERING?

The word “patience” can refer to two things in the Bible; either the ability to bear with difficult circumstances, or the ability to bear with difficult people. When translated as “longsuffering”, the Bible is referring to the second situation. Thus, this fruit of the Spirit involves the patience that we have towards other people.

In James 5:9, there is an exhortation to “grudge not one against another”. The word “grudge” carries the idea of groaning or grumbling, whether in impatience or distress. In this particular context, we note that James is telling them not to do this against other believers in particular. Thus, if a fellow believer wrongs us, or is particularly hard to deal with, we must still show patience and forbearance. The example that James points us to is that of the prophets “who have spoken in the name of the Lord”. The Old Testament is filled with examples of prophets of great patience, who never ceased rebuking sin in Israel even though they were often met with a very poor response.

The principle of longsuffering is very clearly illustrated in the example that James gave about the prophets. When God gives us a task that requires us to deal with people who are difficult, do we exhibit the same level of patience that the prophets did? They continued to serve God in their respective ministries and often had to put up with harsh criticism, general disinterest, and sometimes even physical violence. No matter how unreceptive and unrepentant the people were, the prophets continued to persist in their efforts. Likewise, we need to exhibit that same level of tolerance towards all men – not just believers. In school, we will inevitably meet with people who we do not get along with very easily. In such situations, we must remember that God has placed us there as witnesses. Hence, we must have longsuffering to the people around us, whether they are believers or unbelievers.

It is easy to get along with people who are generally agreeable. The trait that marks us out as Christians is this working of the Holy Spirit within us that allows us to go beyond what unbelievers are capable of, and which helps us to bear with even the most difficult people, for the cause of Christ.

Thought: Am I very impatient towards the people around me?
Prayer: Lord, help me to be longsuffering towards others.