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Welcome to Day 2130 of Wisdom-Trek, and thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom James \u2013 Wisdom is Faith in Action 12 \u2013 Patience In Suffering \u2013 Daily Wisdom Putnam Church message \u2013 01/02/2022 James: Wisdom is Faith In Action \u2013 Patience in Suffering We are continuing our series today on the Proverbs of the New Testament, better known as the letter of James. Before our Advent series and last week\u2019s Christmas message, our previous message covered James 5:1-6 which dealt with \xa0Warnings to the Wealthy, and we learned why wealth should not be our primary source of Thankfulness. Today we pick up where we left off as we continue in James 5 and focus on verses 7-12. This message is titled, Patience in Suffering. So join me on page 1885 in the pew bibles as I read the Scripture for today. I would recommend keeping this passage open as we go throughout the message today: James 5:7-12 Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord\u2019s coming.\xa0See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting\xa0for the autumn and spring rains.\xa0You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord\u2019s coming\xa0is near.\xa0Don\u2019t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters,\xa0or you will be judged. The Judge\xa0is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets\xa0who spoke in the name of the Lord.\xa0As you know, we count as blessed\xa0those who have persevered. You have heard of Job\u2019s perseverance\xa0and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.\xa0The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear\u2014not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple \u201cYes\u201d or \u201cNo.\u201d Otherwise you will be condemned. Suppressing the Revenge Reflex We\u2019ve all experienced the hurt of mistreatment and misunderstanding. Such hurts come in various forms\u2014 an intolerable working situation, domestic conflicts, overbearing parents, rebellious children, a treacherous friend, a petty parishioner, and a gossipy neighbor. Our natural tendency is to retaliate\u2014to return evil for evil, an eye for an eye. Or we bottle it up and allow a slow, bubbling ferment. (Shake a bottle of pop) But God has a better idea than either bottling up or bursting out! James reveals this alternative. He tells us what to do when we\u2019ve been wronged and how to do it. \xa0 James 5:7 simultaneously connects and contrasts with the previous section. First, James changes his audience from \u201cyou rich people\u201d (5:1) to brothers and sisters (5:7). You will remember that James addressed oppressive wealthy people in 5:1-6, exposing their wrongs and calling for repentant humiliation in light of the coming judgment of God. Now, beginning in 5:7, James addresses the victims of their ugliness: Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord\u2019s coming. \xa0 James continues with the theme of Christ\u2019s coming in judgment when he returns a second time. While persecutors should fear Christ\u2019s coming, believers, anticipate it through patiently enduring suffering. Don\u2019t miss that James has shifted to believers in this section. The man without Christ is frustrated if he tries to bring patience into persecution, mistreatment, or everyday afflictions. Yet, through the work of