Tuesday, August 26, 2008
James 5:7-12
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. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 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.
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. (ESV)
by Leota Stevens
The first garden I ever planted was exciting and wonderful and the most frustrating experience I had encountered. Learning to wait patiently was a difficult task for a young girl. I visited that garden everyday to check on the progress of my little seeds. They seemed to take an eternity to break through that tough Illinois soil. At one point I was intensely tempted to pull back the layers of dirt just to peek at them. Thankfully my mother was wise and encouraged me to have patience with the garden and assured me that I would be amazed at the size of my vegetables before the end of summer. I think that as Christians who patiently wait on the return of our Lord, we also will be amazed at the abundant crop of believers who will be gathered in when the fullness of time has come.
Copyright Information
Daily Bible Meditations are taken from The Helping Hand,a Sabbath School student quarterly for youth and adults. Copyright © 2008, Seventh Day Baptist Board of Christian Education, Inc.
Scripture quotations marked "ESV" are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Text provided by the Crossway Bibles Web Service .
