Thursday, December 16, 2004
James 5:7-8 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.
WAIT A MINUTE
As I look out the window this morning, I see that a blanket of snow fell overnight and there is more in the air. The weather reports say we could have up to 15 inches over the next three days. I expect there will be a lot of accidents on the highway. Drivers will continue charging ahead as though the pavement were clean and dry because they're in such a hurry.
We don't like to wait for anything. We don't like to wait for our food at the restaurant or for a package in the mail. We like everything to be done for us fast-- right now.
We don't even like to wait for Jesus. We want Him to take care of our problems right now before another minute passes. In fact, sometimes we grumble and complain when He doesn't appear to come to us immediately and attend to our demands.
But sometimes it's good to wait for Jesus' coming. The Old Testament believers had to wait hundreds of years before the promised Messiah came. While they waited, God prepared them for His birth. They learned through their system of sacrifices that their sins needed to be paid for and they learned about the One who would carry their sins away once and for all by a great sacrifice. God had them wait so that when Jesus arrived they could recognize, appreciate, understand, and be thankful for His coming.
As you wait for the Lord Jesus to appear in Bethlehem later this month, watch for God to do the same thing. Watch for Him to prepare you for this glorious birth. He will show you your sins and He will show you the great confidence you can have that the coming one will remove your guilt. It's really not so bad to wait. Pray, learn, grow, and then appreciate the Christ with all your heart when He comes! 