“We count them blessed who endure.”
                 James 5:10-11

“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.  Indeed we count them blessed who endure.  You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by  the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”

1. The prophets are our examples of standing in the midst of difficulties.  We think of Elijah because he stood so much alone.  He suffered.  Contradiction, opposition, loneliness.  Amos was  told to go home.  Moses was a prophet too.  He had constant difficulties with the Israelites in the wilderness.  Jeremiah very few encouragements outwardly.  Ezekiel and  Daniel had trials that never let up. Job was tested very sorely but continued on with God.  James says to consider the prophets as our example of how to persevere, and follow their example.

2. We must humbly receive the providential trials that God sends our way. We tend to not accept them.  We look and look for some solution but none comes.  We must submit to God’s wisdom.  He teaches us how to please Him in the Bible.  We must obey Him even in the midst of our trials. We must continue to believe in His love. When we are disappointed it is hard to hear sometimes that God’s love means more than what we would have had if not for this disappointment.  Why?  Because we say “Why can’t we have both?!”).  We must humbly accept God’s will, wisdom, and love (!) as our portion.  Ecclesiastes 7:8 says that it is better to be patient than to be proud!

3. We must persevere in holiness.  God exercises a moral rule over our hearts and lives as His children.  To rebel against God’s commandments is to try to throw off God.  At times we foolishly want independence, self-will, and self-determination.  But it is obedience that pleases God. It is said of the saints in Hebrews 11:35 that they did not accept deliverance.  Why? Because it was at the price of denying God.  The Devil will often give you a way out of your problem at the price of disobeying God!

4. We must persevere in the faith.  These are the things that establish our hearts. As sinners we keep going to the merits of the cross—to the Risen Savior.  Keep believing in his mercy.  Keep believing that he welcomes us.  Keep believing that we will all stand before God and only those in the Lamb’s book of life will enter glory.  Keep clinging to the Son of God as the only Savior and you will never regret it for all eternity.

5.  We count those blessed who endure.  Oh here are the happy ones!  They continue on with God.  The worst kind of  sorrows are the ones that are multiplied by the persons who depart from God.  James says the only ones that will be blessed are the ones who continue on with God. These will be in heaven how blessed that will be!  They showed in the midst of their trials that God was worthy of being obeyed even if we don’t seem to get anything out of it at the time.  We may feel this way. But to have God’s fellowship is the greatest reward even in the “here and now”.

6.  James says we count them blessed who endure or continue on with God. These pass through the hard  providences and again bathe in God’s great compassion and pity.  Oh what a wonder it is that God in heaven cares for me and tells me so!  He tells me in His word that I am dear to Him.  He tells me that He is honored by the way I have acted. This brings true joy to the child of God.  This is to be “useful for the Master.”

Taking these truths to heart we can see why the Bible says, “we count them blessed who endure.”  May seek to know this blessedness in our own experience.