Based on James 5:7-10 (New King James Version)
“Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.”
This is not an easy message to accept, but it is necessary, so we can continue moving forward towards the goal. If just look around us, we will understand that we are getting closer to the coming of the Lord. We are living during a time where many written prophecies have been fulfilled. Everything points to His coming happening at any moment now, and if we are not awake and attentive to the times we are living, we will be found unprepared, just like our enemy wants us to be. This is what the Scriptures say: “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’ Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. ‘Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.’” Matthew 24:1-14. The precise moment when a person falls is when they are confident and distracted, and the devil has put a lot of false trust and messages of peace and prosperity, and there are also many distractions within our own churches. What are we doing to be ready?
One of the false teachings that is very common within churches is that, when we come to Christ, that all is done, and that we do not have anything more to worry about. And from a certain point of view, that is true, but we also have to see the practical side of what the Scriptures teach. It is true that Christ made everything possible, and that He has triumphed over death. But now, it is each of our turns to fulfill God’s will in our lives. We need to carry out God’s will, not fall asleep spiritually, or just sit and wait for the Lord to come. That is not God’s will, but rather, that is Satan’s desire. The Lord’s will needs to be fulfilled in our lives, and not our will. True faith in Christ consists of doing good work, in doing what God commands us to do, in fulfilling the Lord’s will in our lives. But, if we allow ourselves to be submerged in our business, in our problems and worries, or in our desires and entertainment, how shall God’s will then be fulfilled in our lives? How will the Gospel of Christ continue being spread if we do not move forward? And how will people that need God’s salvation so much will come to believe if they do not see Christ move in our lives? Can you imagine if Peter would not have left everything for the Lord, or if Matthew wouldn’t have followed Jesus when called, or if John would have ignored the things he saw, or if Paul would have just dedicated himself to recovering from his moment with the Lord on the way to Damascus? We would not have much of the Bible we have today, and so many other things would be missing. It is the Lord’s work, but there were people that understood God’s purpose for their lives and let themselves be guided by the work of the Holy Spirit. They fulfilled God’s purpose during the time the Lord gave them to fulfill it. The opportunity we get to fulfill His will is the time the Lord gives us while here on earth.
Now then, many people speak of faith like if it has to do with being positive, or a way to fulfill your wishes, but that is not what the Bible teaches. And the greatest error and falling away is when a person tries to use faith as something that can make God do what they want Him to do for them. This is what we read concerning faith: “And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women received their dead raised to life again. Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.” Hebrews 11:32-40. True faith consists in believing in the Lord, and in doing what He commands, no matter what the cost, with our eyes placed on Jesus, knowing that what is truly worth fighting for comes after all of this, not during the here and now. This world is an illusion, a moment in the grand scheme of eternity, something that is here today but gone tomorrow. And if we only concentrate on the here and now, then our reward will only be here and now, and there will be no eternity for us. That is the truth. That is what the Word of God teaches, and that is what those giants of the faith we read about in God’s Word believed. This is what the Apostle Paul said shortly before coming to his end here, or rather, before starting his eternity: “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:6-8.
We read about a farmer at the beginning, one who waits for the precious fruit of the earth. However, in order for a farmer to receive anything from the earth, he has to work hard, under the sun’s heat, breaking the earth with a plow, and sowing the seed. If they don’t work, there is nothing to wait for. So then, are you patiently working, despite the circumstances of the here and now, awaiting our Lord’s coming, so you can receive what He was prepared for those that love His coming? Lord bless! John