AT THE COMING OF THE LORD
The end is upon us, and we must be prepared for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also be ready to give account of ourselves to God. The prophets of old prophesied about the end of all things. This end of time is upon us. Prepare to meet thy God, Amos 4:12. It says to meet God we must prepare.
James 5 which is a chapter of the Bible that deals with the coming of the Lord is a major reference point and must not be ignored. Verse 7-8 reads, “Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” Verse 9 says, “Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.” It is very important to know exactly the meaning of this word “grudge.” A grudge is a lasting, deep-seated feeling of resentment, bitterness, or animosity towards someone, often stemming from a past injury or insult. Grudge is synonymous to rancor, bitterness, resentment, malice, spite, enmity, grievance, pique, ill will, animosity, envy, covet, deny and withhold. A grudge is not sudden anger. It is reared or nursed or maintained over an extended period. These are all part and parcel of the works of the flesh, (Galatians 5:19-21).
James 5:7-8, talks about patience, the coming of the Lord and establishing your heart. These factors go together. The key here is “the coming of the Lord, (the translation). Patience is needed. If God the husbandman waiteth patiently, who is man not to apply the same principle of patience. Patience is generally the ability to remain calm, composed, and self-restrained when facing delay difficulties, provocation, or suffering (Matt. 25:5). It is a virtue involving active, optimistic endurance rather than passive waiting (2nd Peter 1:3-8). Stablishing your heart is very important at this endtime and the coming of the Lord (James 5:8). It means to strengthen, fix, anchor, and settle your inner self with unwavering commitment to God, particularly while enduring trials or waiting for Christ’s return based on his precious promises (John 14:3).
It is surprising that one main warning that God attached to his coming was “grudge.”
This should alert one of the seriousness of GRUDGE. You must do whatever you can to get rid of the grudge in your life because the Bible says the judge is at the door. Do not allow the judge to catch you with a grudge. What grudges do you have in your heart? You cannot please God with a grudge, and He is the judge. Grudge is one sin with many tributaries or links like an octopus. Grudge can destroy in many ways. How can a person expecting the coming of the Lord be consumed by resentment for another person, malice, bitterness, envy, ill will, denial and much more. Judge yourself and be established in the fruit of the Spirit which is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22). In this case there will be no need for the judge at the door.
Grudge will have the judge waiting at the door for you. What to do to escape this is to get rid of grudge, through confession and repentance with proper conversion by the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ’s name. Grudge will definitely keep you out of the translation. This is why it matters at the coming of the Lord. Prophetically, James by the Holy Spirit foreknew what grudge will do and that will also be when the judge will be at door. It is any moment now. Do you have any grudges you are dealing with? Confess to the Lord Jesus Christ, ask Him to forgive, and give you the grace and power to overcome them.
198 – AT THE COMING OF THE LORD