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THE VIRTUE OF PATIENCE

THE DAILY FOUNTAIN DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE OF THE CHURCH OF NIGERIA (ANGLICAN COMMUNION)

DATE: SATURDAY, 17TH JUNE, 2023 

TOPIC: THE VIRTUE OF PATIENCE

TEXT: JAMES 5:1-20

1. Come now, [you] rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon [you!]
2. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.
3. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
4. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.
5.  You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
6.  You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
7.  Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See [how] the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
8.  You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
9.  Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
10.  My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.
11.  Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end [intended by] the Lord -- that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
12.  But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your "Yes," be "Yes," and [your] "No," "No," lest you fall into judgment.
13.  Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
14.  Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
15.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
16.  Confess [your] trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
17.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
18.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
19.  Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back,
20.  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.


MESSAGE: 
James addresses what should be the Christian's attitude in the face of oppression, discrimination and suffering, etc. He goes on to encourage believers to be patient and to persevere until Christ returns. Our patience will be tested through suffering, just as Job's was tested. He endured patiently and God blessed him bountifully afterwards. James advises on how to respond to different circumstances i. e. in times of suffering, pray (v.13); in times of joy, sing songs; in times of sickness, call the elders to pray(v.14) and the prayer of faith will heal the sick. We should also remain our brothers' keepers, and restore to faith anyone who wanders from the truth.
We should endeavour to be doers of the word and not just hearers. Whether rich or poor, we should live our lives to glorify the name of God and bring others to the kingdom. Let us continually run this race with all perseverance and patience because, Jesus is coming soon. Do not faint and do not grumble, pray and wait patiently for His return.


PRAYER: 
Almighty God, I put my trust in You. Thank you for the enablement to persevere, in Jesus' name, Amen.
 

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