Humility Proceeds from God
God is the moving cause of humility. By nature man is a creature who aspires after glory, is proud and conceited, and has high thoughts of himself. He is motivated by self, is focused on self, and is desirous that everyone’s end would be to esteem, honor, fear, serve, and obey him. The heart the Lord gives to His people is different, however, for He causes Christ to be formed in them, so that, also in humility, they resemble Christ. The Lord grants them enlightened eyes of understanding by which they know themselves, are able to judge themselves rightly, know what their gifts are, and of what they are worthy. Furthermore, they have a love for righteousness and thus they neither desire nor seek that to which they are not entitled.
How Long Must we be Patient?
James 5:7-11
March 30, 2008
All is not right with the world. How long must wait until it is?
We must have Makrothumia because of Maranatha.
What do you expect from God when the end comes?
How does that expectation influence your present attitude?
What is Makrothumia?
A Christian perspective on time and suffering. (2 Cor 4:16-18; 1Peter 1:3-5)
How long are we to exercise patient endurance?
We are not to rest our hopes in temporary and partial vindication in time, but rather permanent and complete vindication in eternity. (Romans 8:18; 2 Cor 4:17; John 14:1; 1 Cor 16:22)
Sometimes seeing from the end, the outcome we can make sense of the suffering.
Sometimes the struggle itself is a blessing.
Groan not against each other. V 9
When we are hurt, disappointed, we tend to lash out at those closest to us.
There are degrees of a gracious reward in heaven.
(Matt 5:19; 1 Cor 3:10-15; Matt 10:41; 2 Cor 5:10)
Examples of patient endurance
The Farmer
The Prophets (Acts 7:52; Matthew 5:11-12)
An example is not something to be complimented, but imitated.
Job
"He ever surrendered himself to God, and was ever willing to be restrained and
ruled by him." Calvin on James.
What end of the telescope are you looking through?
The Lord is good in all his ways, he is compassionate and gracious.
Makrothumia because of Maranatha (2 Timothy 1:12)