An Established Heart

James Byrd

Central Truth

A heart established upon Christ provides the foundation for how we think and act toward others.

You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Warning to the Rich

1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.

Patience in Suffering

7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,^{1

5:7
Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 10, 12, 19} until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

The Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^{2

5:16
Or The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power} 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Footnotes

[1] 5:7 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 9, 10, 12, 19
[2] 5:16 Or The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power

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There is so much to unpack in this chapter, which is full of commands, wisdom, and counsel for us today. I encourage you to dive deeply into all of the imperatives as they are rich in instructions. But how is it possible for us to live life the way James commands?

He is writing this letter to people in the midst of trials and persecution. He doesn't give them shortcuts to handle it—he gives detailed instructions. They are to wait patiently for the coming of the Lord (James 5:7) who will vindicate them, follow Job's example of steadfastness (James 5:11), keep their word (James 5:12), and pray fervently (James 5:16-18). If you're like me, that's a tall order to follow on your own.

The good news is that James shows us what we need to live out those instructions: an established heart. An established heart is not talked about much, if at all. Even the Greek word for "establish" is only used 13 times in the New Testament and is almost always used in the context of persecution and suffering. Peter uses it in 1 Peter 5:10 to remind us that after suffering, God will establish us. Paul uses it in 2 Thessalonians 2:17 to "establish them in every good work and word," and John uses it in Revelation 3:2 to remind the church to take its faith seriously.

An established heart is one that is grounded, planted firmly and without change. When we establish our hearts upon Christ, only then do we have a foundation to weather the storms of suffering and persecution that come our way. Our hearts are also changed when we live in dependence on Christ, which changes how we think and act toward others. We won't grumble against each other (James 5:9), our words will be truthful (James 5:12), and we will pray for each other (James 5:14-16).

1. What's one way you can establish your heart in Christ today?

2. Review the instructions James gives in James 5:6-20 and determine which ones focus on others and not self. How can you live selflessly today?

3. Do others take your word seriously? James and Jesus have strong words about this in James 5:12 and Matthew 5:33-37.

4. When people confess sin to you, do you pray with them for healing as commanded in James 5:16? They have provided you an opportunity to pray for healing for them that their sin will have no more power over them.

5. Do you know any people who formerly said they were a Christian and have walked away from the faith? James 5:19-20 reminds us to pursue them to bring them back to a knowledge of the truth and to save their souls from death. As a reminder, God has blessed us with the message of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20), but it is God who saves and not us (1 Corinthians 3:5-9).