Wise Teachings: Endurance and Authentic Fellowship

When Money Starts Keeping You Up at Night

What I've Learned from James 5

I'll be honest with you—James 5 makes me squirm. Not because it's difficult to understand, but because it hits so close to home. If you've ever felt that uncomfortable twinge when you see your bank balance while scrolling past a fundraiser, or if you've caught yourself getting impatient with God's timing, then you and I are in the same boat. Let me share what this passage has been teaching me about living authentically when everything around us feels uncertain.

The Wealth Thing We Don't Want to Talk About

"Come now, you rich people, weep and wail over the miseries that are coming on you!" James doesn't ease into this topic, does he? For the longest time, I told myself this passage wasn't about me because I'm not "rich rich." But then I started thinking about how I live compared to most of the world, and that comfort zone got really uncomfortable.

The wealthy people James is addressing aren't just sitting on piles of cash—they're hoarding while others suffer. They've gotten so comfortable with their abundance that they've become deaf to the cries around them. Sound familiar? I think about how many times I've upgraded my phone while ignoring the homeless person I pass every day on my way to work.

Jesus told that story in Luke 16:19-31 about the rich man who lived in luxury while Lazarus suffered right outside his gate. What gets me is that the rich man wasn't necessarily evil—he was just oblivious. He was so wrapped up in his comfortable life that he couldn't see the need right in front of him.

Paul warned Timothy that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (1 Timothy 6:10). Notice he didn't say money itself, but the love of it. I've had to ask myself some hard questions: Do I trust God or my savings account? When I'm anxious, do I pray or check my bank balance?

Jesus put it perfectly in Matthew 6:19-21: "Don't store up for yourselves treasures on earth... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." I used to think this was about being poor, but now I realize it's about being free. Free from the anxiety that comes with trying to secure our own future.

Learning to Wait When Everything in Me Wants to Rush

"Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming." Easy to say, harder to live. I'm the person who gets frustrated when the microwave takes too long. Patience has never been my strong suit, and I suspect I'm not alone in this.

James uses the farmer as an example—someone who plants seeds and then waits through seasons, trusting that growth is happening even when it's invisible. I've been learning that some of the most important work God does in our lives happens during the waiting seasons, not despite them.

Remember Job? James mentions his endurance, and honestly, Job's story used to frustrate me. Why didn't God just fix everything immediately? But I'm starting to see that Job's story isn't really about his suffering—it's about his faith remaining steady when everything else fell apart. "The Lord is compassionate and merciful," James reminds us. Sometimes His compassion looks different than our quick fixes.

In our Amazon Prime world, this kind of patience feels almost countercultural. We want immediate results, instant answers, and quick solutions. But I've noticed that the things that have shaped me most have come through seasons of waiting—waiting for healing, waiting for clarity, waiting for doors to open or close.

When Your Word Actually Means Something

"Let your 'yes' mean 'yes,' and your 'no' mean 'no.'" This one hits me in the gut because I'm a people pleaser. I say yes when I mean maybe, and maybe when I mean no. I make promises I'm not sure I can keep because I don't want to disappoint anyone.

But James is calling us to become people of such integrity that we don't need to swear oaths or make elaborate promises. Our simple word should be enough. When we say we follow Christ, our reliability should reflect His character.

I've been working on this—really thinking before I commit to something, being honest about my limitations, saying no when I need to. It's harder than it sounds, but it's also incredibly freeing.

Prayer: My Lifeline When Everything Falls Apart

James presents prayer as our response to everything: suffering, joy, sickness, sin. "The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect." But here's what I love—he uses Elijah as an example, calling him "a human being as we are." Elijah wasn't superhuman; he was just someone who prayed earnestly.

I used to think prayer was this mystical thing I wasn't very good at. But James is saying it's simpler than that. Are you going through a tough time? Pray. Are things going well? Thank God. Are you sick? Ask others to pray with you. Are you struggling with sin? Confess it and pray together.

This reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 12:1-2 about being "transformed by the renewing of your mind." Prayer is one of the main ways that happens. It's not about getting God to do what we want—it's about aligning our hearts with His.

Bringing Back the Wanderers (Including Myself)

James ends with something beautiful: "If any among you strays from the truth, and someone turns him back... whoever turns a sinner from his wandering way will save his soul from death." This isn't about being the faith police—it's about love that perseveres in its commitment to people.

I think about the people who've gently called me back when I was wandering. They didn't judge or condemn; they just loved me enough to speak the truth. Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:1-5 to examine our own hearts first, to deal with our own "beam" before addressing someone else's "splinter."

The urgency of this becomes clear when I consider Matthew 25:31-46, where Jesus discusses caring for the hungry, thirsty, and imprisoned. Sometimes, bringing someone back to faith starts with meeting their practical needs, showing them that they matter.

Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:19 that enduring unjust suffering "brings favor" when we do it "because of a consciousness of God." Sometimes our patient response to difficult people becomes the thing that draws them back to faith.

Living Under God's Searching Gaze

The psalmist's prayer in Psalm 139:23-24 has become mine: "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way."

This is scary and comforting at the same time. Scary because God sees everything—my secret anxieties about money, my impatience with His timing, my half-hearted commitments. But comforting because He loves me anyway and wants to lead me in a better way.

What This Means for Us Right Now

Here's what I'm learning: James 5 isn't asking us to be perfect. It's asking us to be real. Real about our struggles with money and materialism. Real about our impatience. Real about our inconsistencies. And real about our need for God's grace in all of it.

The "coming of the Lord" that James mentions isn't meant to scare us—it's meant to give us perspective. Our choices today matter because they're part of a bigger story. Whether we're wealthy or struggling, healthy or sick, surrounded by community or feeling alone, we get to be part of God's work in the world.

I don't have this all figured out. I still struggle with worry about the future, still catch myself being impatient, still need grace for my inconsistencies. But I'm learning that authentic faith isn't about having it all together—it's about being honest about our struggles and trusting God in the middle of them.

Let's Take Some Steps Together

This Week - Let's Start Small:

1. Get honest about money - I'm going to look at my spending this month and ask: What does this say about what I really trust? Maybe you could join me in finding one way to be more generous, even if it's small.

2. Practice patience - I'm picking one area where I've been pushing God for answers and committing to prayer instead of worry. What's your impatience area? Let's pray about it instead of stressing about it.

3. Watch our words - For three days, I'm going to pay attention to what I promise and whether I follow through. Want to try this with me?

   
   

This Month - Going Deeper: 

4. Make prayer more real - I'm setting aside time each day to actually pray instead of just    thinking about praying. James 5:13 is my guide: pray when struggling, praise when things are good, ask for prayer when I need it.

5. Look for someone to encourage - I'm thinking of someone in my life who might be struggling with faith. Instead of judging, I want to love them well. Who comes to mind for you?

   
   

For the Long Haul: 

6. Regular heart checks - I'm making Psalm 139:23-24 a regular prayer. It's scary but        necessary.

7. Live like Jesus is coming - In my daily decisions, I want to ask: "How does this choice reflect what I say I believe?" This isn't about perfection—it's about direction.

   
   

The beautiful thing about James 5 is that it doesn't leave us feeling hopeless. Yes, it challenges us, but it also shows us a path forward. We don't have to have perfect faith—we just need authentic faith. Faith that admits our struggles, trusts God's timing, speaks truthfully, prays persistently, and loves people back to wholeness.

We're all works in progress, and thank God for that. He's not finished with us yet.

Blessings,

Donna