Skip to main content

James 5:9: Do Not Grumble Against One Another, Brothers


James 5:9
[9] Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. (ESV)

You know what you are made of when you are forced to go through a time of great persecution. I know that we would probably all prefer to never be persecuted, but just as the Savior was tempted, tried, and even tortured to death, we also will face times of temptation, trial, and in one degree or another some kind of torture for our faith.

How do you respond when the heat is turned up in your personal situation? Are you able to maintain your cool? Or do you lash out at those around you? James has been talking about a situation of wealthy oppressors of the Christians. He has assured them that God will judge their oppressors, but he now instructs them to be sure that while they await God's judgment they do not grumble at one another.

I would love to say that James had no need to tell these believers not to grumble, but I do believe that he understood our fallen human nature. In fact, I believe that the enemy of our souls tries to get us to question God's goodness and complain about our situation. Once we give in to grumbling and complaining we completely lose our focus on God and we fall in to sin.

As you consider the last part of this verse you need to realize what James means by Jesus being the judge standing at the door. He is a judge who wants to reward us for our perseverance through the trials that he has allowed to come our way. James warns us that we will lose some of our reward by our grumbling.

You are either facing trouble, or you will be soon. Prepare your heart. Ask the Savior to help you fix your eyes firmly on him. He will give you the strength you need.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Romans 8:18: For I Consider That The Sufferings Of This Present Time Are Not Worth Comparing

Romans 8:18 [18] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (ESV) Perspective. What an important word. Let's be honest. We do not like the idea of suffering. We will do almost anything to avoid any kind of suffering. Some churches have gone so far as to preach against the idea of suffering, declaring it to not be a part of the true believer's life. Paul is not shy about the topic. Paul uses the sufferings of this present time as a means to consider the greater glory that awaits us. Perspective. Paul is not in any way attempting to diminish our suffering. A view toward eternity puts our suffering in a proper understanding. Yes, our suffering is terrible. In the grand scheme of eternity it is not even worth comparison. Maybe you are thinking that Paul does not know what he is talking about when it comes to suffering. In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul describes countless beatings, often near death,

Romans 11:24: For If You Were Cut From What Is By Nature A Wild Olive Tree, And Grafted, Contrary To Nature, Into A Cultivated Olive Tree . . .

Romans 11:24 [24] For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. (ESV) We continue looking at the illustration of an olive tree. The root of the tree is the covenant relationship relationship of God with Abraham. Abraham's faith is what this spiritual tree is built on. The first branches would have been the faithful people of Israel, who like Abraham, placed their faith in God. They believed God, just like Abraham, and it was credited to them as righteousness. There were branches of the people of Israel who never placed their faith in God. Because these branches were not true followers of God they were broken off of the tree. Faith in God was the essential element that made the branches true branches of this spiritual tree. Some branches remained. Others, the faithless unbelievers, were removed. After Jesu

Romans 15:20-21: And Thus I Make It My Ambition To Preach The Gospel, Not Where Christ Has Already Been Named

Romans 15:20–21 [20] and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, [21] but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.” (ESV) We need to be reminded continually that the message of the Gospel is intended to move all across the world. Jesus said that his followers were to preach the Gospel, starting in Jerusalem, and continue preaching the Gospel to the whole world. Christians have not always been good at delivering the Gospel message as far and as often as they should. In the first century church it took intense persecution to motivate the disciples in Jerusalem to bring the Gospel to Judea and Samaria. Once the disciples fled to new regions they shared the Gospel wherever they went. Would the disciples have preached the Gospel without the persecution? We may never know. Some probably would have stayed in their co