Dave's Diary

Daily Reading: James 5:7-10

⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

James writes these words to believers who were suffering greatly. They experienced persecution and poverty because of their faith in Jesus. Like John the Baptist, languishing in jail in Matthew 11, these early believers faced huge pressure.

James’ advice to them is wonderful. “You too, be patient and stand firm”, says the NIV. “Strengthen your hearts”, say the more literal translations. And because the “you” is plural and so too the “hearts”, we know that James’ intention was that they go about strengthening their hearts and standing firm together.

We all know that pressure has a way of either driving human communities apart or cementing us more closely together. So James’ persecuted and pressurised readers had a choice. Either they could give in to the temptation to be self-centred and so “grumble against one another”, or, they could focus on each other, stand firm together, and strengthen one another’s hearts, to make it through to the end. His plea to his readers is that they do the latter and make sure that they get through their suffering together!

The motivation James offers is fascinating. In v.8 he promises, “The Lord’s coming is near!” In v.9 he says, “The Judge is standing at the door”. I think he means them to realise that Christ is ever-present in their community (the Body of Christ) and that how they treat one another in the pressure-cooker of their suffering is what truly reveals the state of their hearts and whether they belong to Him or not.

If that’s the case, what does your attitude and behaviour towards your fellow believers at the moment reveal about the state of your heart before Christ?

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I have grumbled against my fellow believers. Help me to love them and to strengthen their hearts so that we can stand firm together. Amen.