Thursday - James 5 - The Judge is Standing at the Door

 

C

HRIST'S return is getting closer all the time (vs. 7-9). It is as if He is standing at heaven's door with His hand on the doorknob, just waiting for the signal from the Father. And, in light of Christ's return, James gives us a healthy list of a few things in which we should be involved.

 

At the top of the list is the importance of us investing in heavenly things rather than in earthly things (Matthew 6:19-24 & James 5:1-5). Given the choice of doing something that only has immediate benefits, or another thing that only has eternal consequences – we should always choose the eternal. 

 

Along these same lines, James calls on us to live patiently (vs. 7-8 & 10-11). We might not think of patience as a primary spiritual necessity, but it is (see Romans 2:5-8, & especially verse 7).  

Finally, our intense attention must be placed on the things that we say (1^st Peter 1:13-25).  Whether we are speaking to ourselves, to our fellow men, or to the God of heaven – our words matter. Simple and honest speech is the kind to which we should limit ourselves (James 5:12). Prayer, holy songs, confessions and exhortations: these are the types of utterances that (from an eternal perspective) are useful and wise. Going beyond these limitations will only get us into trouble (Matthew 5:37).