May 19
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PRAY LIKE ELIJAH AND LEAD OTHERS BACK INTO TRUTH
A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish 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 earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you strays from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that the one who has turned a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sins. – James 5:16-20
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In these passages from the letter of James, he tackles two things: the importance of praying like Elijah. Elijah was one of the greatest prophets of God who had the right heart. Because of his righteous life, he is able to pray powerful prayers. Elijah predicts a drought in 1 Kings 17:1-7 and then when Elijah prayed for rain, God sends him rain in verses 14-46. James gives the example of Elijah because this man prays with faith. How many Christians really pray with faith? Oftentimes, we pray like asking God to grant us something and yet not have that expectancy to be granted whatever we prayed for. Many of us get consumed by the desire to long for something and forget that it is in God’s preference that it be done. We need to be able to pray like Elijah did, never faltering, never doubting, but truly believing that the Lord will grant it. Earlier in his letter in chapter 4, James talks about not having something we desire because we haven’t asked and when we ask, we ask for pleasure.
James admonishes the believers to make sure that not anyone of them strays from truth which led someone to stray as well. Many people who have fallen out of faith was a result of witnessing someone who turned away from their own faith. James warns the believers to make sure that they are seeking truth all the time so that the enemy will not have a chance to entice them back to sin. If we are accountable to someone to make sure that we are growing in the faith, we must also strive to be responsible to grow our faith through suffering and endurance. He talks about this in the beginning of his first chapters.
On a positive note, in verse 20, James gives Christ’s promise of the consequence of leading back someone again to God: he is guaranteed salvation and a coverage of a multitude of his own sins. What a great result for those who lead the stray back into God’s fold! Wouldn’t you want to receive that promise yourself?
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REFLECTION
• Why is expectancy important when you pray?
Tag Archives: Christian blog
PATIENT LIKE A FARMER ILMA’S VLOG
May 17
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PATIENT LIKE A FARMER
7 Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8 You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9 Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. 10 As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. – James 5:7-11
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In this letter, James talks about patience, as a fruit of the Spirit. He illustrates the importance of patience in a believer’s life by referring to a farmer. Farmers get up very early in the day to feed their animals, clean the barns and get their equipment or machineries ready to either till their grounds, sow, plant or harvest. Weather is one of the things that they work with on a daily basis. The success of their work is purely dependent on the weather. They have a vision and a rigorous schedule to follow, or they won’t have a product to feed either their family or merely to be sustainable or to have their farming businesses prosper and make a living out of it. My grandfather was both a farmer and a fisherman. I remember those summer vacations we spent with them and he shows me how to sow, plant and harvest. Getting the grounds ready for sowing takes a lot of work, but once you wait to watch how the seeds germinate, it is magical. This is probably why James uses farmers to illustrate patience and expectancy in this letter. He advises the believers to have the patience of a farmer and also to emulate their hope and expectancy.
In verse 9, he discusses about complaining and endurance. He cautions them from whining about their situations or suffering because when they do, they fail to grow in endurance. James gives Job as an example of someone who endured so much after all the disasters and losing his family has brought about. Without Job’s knowledge, it was God who allowed the devil to tempt this favorite of his. In fact, God was so sure of Job’s loyalty to him that is why he allowed the devil to tempt him. He didn’t falter during all those trials. Because he remained faithful to endure, all of this, God rewarded him a double portion of what he had lost.
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REFLECTION
• Why is patience such a challenging virtue in our world today?