Be Patient…Do not Grumble #1171

8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! (James 5:8–9, NKJV)

We are commanded to be patient, even in the face of suffering, like the laborers whose wages were being withheld fraudulently (Jas. 5:4). The Lord of Hosts sees every injustice, and will right every wrong when He comes in judgment (2 Thess. 1:6-7). R. C. H. Lenski’s comments on verse 9 are worthy of careful consideration: “The verb does not mean ‘to murmur’ but ‘to groan’ (Rom. 8:23)…to groan against each other as though one can blame his distress on another. When one is full of complaint he is ready to grumble against even his best friends in an unreasonable way. To give way to such feelings invites judgment from the Lord. And the readers must know that the Judge is already standing before the door. He has risen and has come near. What if he opens the door and steps in as suddenly and unexpectedly as he has said he will and finds us impatient, groaning at each other in dissatisfaction instead of being patient and firm?” (The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James, 655). Strengthen your heart by being patient in the face of trials. Do not grumble, groan and complain against others; the Judge is standing at the door. When He judges others, He will also judge you and me. Let us all be ready, by being patient in trials (Jas. 1:2-4).

Do Not Grumble #758

Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! (James 5:9, NKJV)

How unseemly it is when Christians grumble and groan against each other. Such complaints lead to condemnation; a sinful devouring of one another that reaches into eternity (Gal. 5:15). James reminds us that the judgment is near, and such sins against fellow Christians do not escape the sight of the Lord, who is Judge of all (Acts 17:31). James urges patient endurance when we are wronged (Jas. 5:10-11). The Scriptures instruct actions of reconciliation, not words and deeds that lead to barriers and burdens (Matt. 5:23-25; 18:15). Forbear and forgive, “if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do” (Col. 3:13). Forgive, instead of fomenting strife. Forbear with patient faith, instead of verbalizing complaints that condemn your soul. The Judge is at the door!