Be patient, James 5:7-8 says. “Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” We as a people have a difficult time being patient for tomorrow, let alone the return of the Lord! One definition of patience in Merriam Webster’s Dictionary can mean, “bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint.” This is exactly how it can feel waiting on the Lord. We will go through pain and trials in this life. How we handle them truly shows our patience toward God.
Do you wait for the Lord to do His work patiently? Or do you try to take control, thinking you know what is better for you? We tend to take control of the little and big things in our life without any regard for God. What if we begin to live in light of eternity? We would make decisions with eternity in mind. We would choose spouses and friends who glorify the Lord so that we could be better together. We would speak and act in such a way that someone else’s eternity depended on it. Instead, we go throughout our lives looking out for ourselves.
God is returning for us someday. We need to live in such a way that we will be overjoyed at His return. Not like we are caught in the midst of sin. Spend some time praying today, thanking Him for His patience with you. Pray that you may have patience waiting on Him.