The James Study - Faith and Fitness Challengeنموونە

Endurance and Confession

I’m not naturally a patient person, and I get impatient about all sorts of everyday things – like traffic, or one of my kids throwing a tantrum. But James talks about a different kind of patience: patience in waiting for the Lord’s return. He says we should be like farmers who patiently, eagerly wait for rain. The implication is that we should wait patiently for God with real eagerness to see Him move. Usually if we’re eager for something we don’t wait patiently, but God calls us to be both patient and eager!

The word translated ‘patience’ in our passage today carries the idea of steadfastness and of being committed even when things get complicated. James points to Old Testament heroes as examples of people who patiently endured in times of suffering, or when they couldn’t see what God was doing. I love the idea of endurance from a physical standpoint – enduring the suffering of a brutal workout. But too often I want to skip out on the endurance necessary to face the challenges of life. Maybe you can relate? In suffering, you generally don’t care about patience. You just want the quickest, easiest way out of the hardship. So, in which area of your life could you do a better job of exercising patient endurance?

Next, James tackles the power and effectiveness of prayer and confession. He encourages us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed. It’s generally way easier to do the second half of the verse than the first. It’s easier to say a quick prayer for someone, than to sit down and hear the real, raw details of their difficulties. And yet, this scripture shows us that the two are sometimes related. In our culture, confession can be viewed as a weakness and we generally avoid making ourselves vulnerable in this way. We act strong and don’t let anyone into our mess. But I can think of countless situations in my life that I could’ve avoided if I’d just opened up and confessed to a brother. Now, my friendships are marked by confession. First, I confess to God and then I find a friend who will pray for me. It’s all but impossible to be a Jesus follower and not live life in community. We all stumble and fall; if we aren’t careful, isolation from others will be all the enemy needs to gain a foothold in our lives. Confession is often linked to repentance, which means making a 180-degree turn and going in the opposite direction. If we confess our sins, God faithfully forgives us and cleanses us completely.

Today, think about something you know you need to confess, and find a trusted friend in your corner. Confession isn’t easy, but it’s essential to our walk with God. And be encouraged to patiently, eagerly, enduringly wait for God to move mightily in your life.

First the Word – now the Workout:

3 burpees

6 lunges

9 Russian twists

Repeat until you reach 20 minutes, resting for 60 seconds between sets.