#DailyDevotion Jesus The Judge Is At The Door
James 57Be patient, fellow Christians, until the Lord comes. See how the farmer looks for the precious crop on the ground and waits patiently for it to get the fall and the spring rains. 8You, too, be patient, and keep your courage, because the Lord will soon be here. 9Don’t blame your troubles on one another, fellow Christians, or you will be judged. You know, the Judge is standing at the door.
Be patient. Twice he tells us in the passage of James to be patient. It is to be longsuffering in the midst of various trials and tribulations. Certainly the people in James’ day, his fellow Christians are having to suffer at the hands of the Roman government, their fellow Jews who don’t believe in Jesus as the messiah and their pagan, unbelieving neighbors. But James tells them and us to be patient in the midst of these trials until the Lord comes.
As an example James points us to the farmer. He goes out and plants his field and he has to wait for the fall and spring rains. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure if he is waiting on those rains to plant afterwards or if he’s waiting for them so his seed that he has planted will start to grow and he’s waiting for the harvest. Nevertheless, he has to have some longsuffering while he’s waiting for either event. Nothing is happening until that take place.
Then there’s that big ‘until.’ It’s a big until because our patience, i.e. our slow to anger, punishment and avenging gets to cease on that day of the Lord’s return. This really deals with the second ‘be patient.’ For when the Lord Jesus comes, he is not coming humbly on a donkey but on a war horse. He is coming to wreck vengeance upon the earth of those who refused his grace and did not believe in him. You may at times think the world, perhaps your unbelieving ‘friends,’ your co-workers, criminals and the like are getting away with murder but they are not. The Lord Jesus is coming to judge the earth and he is coming soon.
In verse nine, I’m not sure but it also may have something to do with being patient. He tells us not to blame other Christians for our troubles. To blame other Christians for our troubles is apparently judging. Grumbling against your fellow Christians is being judgy. Don’t do that. You have your problems. Take them to the One who can do something about them. Grumbling against your fellow Christian is grumbling, blaming the One who called them to be your brothers. Trust your heavenly Father actually loves you and wants to take care of you instead. Believe he knows what you are going through and trust he is doing something to either a. get you through it or b. fix it.
Look! The Judge is standing at the door! Are you ready? Have you rightly examined yourself? Do you have a proper understanding about yourself and become humble towards God and your fellow Christians? Are you honoring your fellow Christians as better than yourself? Have you forgiven those who sin against you in your heart? Don’t end up being judged because you want to stand up for your rights. Let Jesus who is the true judge do all that. You meet Jesus at the cross.
Almighty and merciful God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to be our savior that we would not be judged. Grant us faith and the Holy Spirit that we not grumble against our fellows or get justice for ourselves but trust justice has been gotten for us on the cross. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.