The epistle of James holds up as an idea “the perseverance of Job.” This is a better translation of the Greek than the traditional “patience of Job.” Patience is somewhat passive — you have to be patient when a bus is coming. There is nothing you can do but wait for it to come. Perseverance (another possible translation is steadfastness) reflects better how Job operated in the Bible. He didn’t simply sit thinking poor, pitiful me. He engaged with is wife, with his friends, and eventually God seeking to find a way through his suffering. That is a good model for us. We all have to deal with unpleasant things. Be like Job in seeking to find God’s plan in the midst of the difficulty.
MAY252018
By Church Staff
