James 5:7-12

Illustration

Trying to get out things by making an excuse for them

V 7-8

James gives a final exhortation to the rich. He warns them of the dangers of finding comfort in just their own lives.

Often when we rely on our own wealth and our own comfort, we can make ourselves feel as though God is unnecessary. We’ve got everything taken care of so what’s the need for God?

James warns of the dangers of this mentality. Often we can experience hardship and suffering as a way to bring us back to the heart of the Lord

In the times we experience suffering and confusion we must be as diligent as a farmer who has not seen a yield on his crops.

it does not deter him from his mission. Rather he continues doing what he is supposed to knowing that in due time, he will reap what he sows

Application: Suffering should produce perseverance in the life of the christian

V 9

This verse seems to be given out of place here

Why talk about not complaining in the midst of suffering?

Because what James is going to argue is that in the life of the believer, suffering does not give us a free pass to do what we want

Sometimes in our hardship and in our trials we can come to find loving others to be at the mere bottom of our lists

We say things and do things that are nowhere near loving under the guise of being in pain

James here is making the case that loving others is harder in seasons of trials, but we are still called to the same core ideas

Application: When you go through hardships, are you enduring with patience AND loving your neighbors? You can serve and still be enduring as well

V 10-12

James cites Job as the example

Satan comes to God and asks to be able to test Job by taking away all he held dear

Job wrestles with pain and still praises the Lord for all he is. His trials strengthened the faith he already possessed

James calls his audience to be a people who suffer well

That means that our words must be binding at face value

We cannot become a people who turn to lying and cheating or falsehoods to escape what suffering may lie ahead

Example: a kid lying about the grade he got on his test

James’s whole point in this section is that suffering should produce holiness not give us an excuse to run from it