James 5:8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
We need patience as we endure the hardships of this life. What drives patiences is hope. Without hope, our patience is resourced from our own strength and understanding. These human resources will be inadequate as we face the “trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). We need to place our lives into the care of someone greater than this world if we are to have hope. The fuel of hope is faith. Faith and hope are two sides of the same coin. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us that “faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Our faith in Jesus gives us hope in salvation. This hope gives us patience as we await the coming of Jesus. James believed that Jesus’ second coming is near. This thought has been at the forefront of Christians’ thinking ever since. We do not know how soon “near” indicates, but this idea increases our corporate hope as the centuries move forward. We often wonder how long this world can last in its present condition. Things will only get more difficult as the population grows and the environment is destroyed more. Life will not get easier or better. This idea should increase our hope in this promise.
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