The Path to Patience

Welcome to Chapel City Church! Today we will move back into James chapter 5. As we come closer to the end of this wonderfully convicting book, we need to be reminded of where we left off. At the end of chapter 4, James reminded his readers that their days and times were in the Lord’s hands. So, making plans should be done with a constant eye towards God’s sovereignty. Chapter 5 opened with a warning against those whose plans appeared to work out. They have wealth and power, but if those things are used selfishly, then God stands ready to judge. As we move forward, James will speak to those who might be oppressed or mistreated by those who use wealth and power wickedly. Our natural response would be to demand justice now, to get our due, or to get even. But what does a living and active faith do when things are unfair and uncomfortable? James says that we wait with patient endurance. He demands that our faith in the nature and character of God drive our response to unjust circumstances. But how do we do that? What do we have to know if we are going to respond rightly when everything seems upside down?