8You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
Impatience allows all kinds of sin to breed and fester in the heart. James talks a lot about patience, perseverance, and endurance. He began with the assertion that “the testing of your faith produces endurance” (James 1:3) and quickly follows it with the succinct statement of the effect temptation has in stirring up our lusts and breaking out into sin (James 1:13–15)
Patience in the Christian life is the ability to fortify one’s heart over time against the temptations that assault us. We understand the term “heart” to refer to the inner affections and passions, that inner person that we must bridle and bring under control of the will. James, as we observe, is quite concerned about our hearts. Our hearts need to be strengthened against deception:
If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. (James 1:26)
We can find ourselves easily controlled by sinful, fleshly, worldly attitudes toward others, complaining and judging as easily as we breathe, symptoms of an underlying heart condition:
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. (James 3:14)
Our hearts can become unhinged by competing allegiances with sin and inpure thoughts, like a desire for wealth and pleasure:
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8).
You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. (James 5:5)
In baseball, a batter improves his swing when he remembers the mantra, “Keep your eyes on the ball.” So too, we strengthen our hearts by keeping our eyes on the coming of our Lord. We can stand firm against the offenses and injustices that rise up against us, and the aggravations and irritations that vex us, because we know that He is coming with righteous judgment. He will set the record straight. The Lord is near (nearer than he was two thousand years ago), so we continue to wait patiently and resist the assaults against our hearts. In this, we strengthen our hearts.
Lord, patience is difficult, but You believe I can endure and persevere.
0 Comments