What Does It Mean To Die In James 5: 44?

In response to the treatment of the rich in James 5:7-11, James charged the impoverished to be patient. The word here, "patient" implies "long (enduring) temper". It is similar to the word found in James 1:4, but not the same.

In James 1:4, the word implies cheerful or hopeful endurance. The emphasis is on the idea that the burden is worthy of bearing. The word in James 5 implies nothing about worthiness, but instead it emphasizes the determination to endure for a long period of time. BOTH words imply bearing a load for a lengthy time, so we should note the similarities.

James used a farmer to illustrate the required patience. He waits patiently for the crop because he has learned that until all conditions are right, there is no need to expect a crop.

Perhaps the point James is making here is

Will we choose the evil approach and take out our frustration on those who mistreat us?

Will we choose the "spiritually neutral" approach to ignore them and hope things improve?

Will we choose the godly approach to pray for them and show love to them that Jesus taught in Matthew 5:44?

How does praying for those who mistreat us fulfill our need for consistency and our godly desire for justice? When we pray for them and treat them with love, we are not ignoring our desire for justice, we are honoring and rejoicing in what is most important in the situation: God 's will. We can be content to love them and pray for them because we have faith in the process. We know that justice will come. We know to wait until God 's timing brings it to them. We know to wait because sin ALWAYS leads to death, unless that sin is forgiven. We know this because we have seen it in God 's word and in our own lives.

The question is, do we have the faith in God 's will that we need in order to wait patiently for God 's processes to run the course?

Will we choose this pathway so that we will benefit and grow from these experiences? Will we use the situation as a catalyst that serves to strengthen