James 5:10—Take the prophets, for example

As an example, brethren, of suffering and link patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. James 5:10

My guess is that it has never been convenient or comfortable to be a messenger of righteousness in the midst of a godless or backslidden generation, even back in the days of Noah: “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly…” (2 Peter 2:4-5, emphasis added). I can picture Noah preaching repentance and righteousness to the rebellious pre-flood world the whole time he worked on the ark—more than likely being scorned and mocked the entire time.

…take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, and Amos spoke to God’s people living in the midst of prosperity. While the people conformed to a display of religious tradition, many also cozied up to pagan worship. Leaders were becoming more and more corrupt, families were growing increasingly unstable due to widespread immorality, and class hatred was on the rise (taken from notes on the Book of Isaiah and the Book of Hosea, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc., ©1991).

Joel prophesied during an interruption to the prosperity in Judah when it was overrun by a devastating plague of locusts that stripped the land of all vegetation within a few short hours.

Micah saw the beginnings of the divided kingdom and witnessed the spread of idolatry as it competed with the worship of God. Zephaniah was the last to prophesy to Judah before its captivity; and Habakkuk witnessed increasing violence against citizens, oppressive treatment of the poor, and the collapse of the legal system in Judah, just before Jerusalem fell (taken from notes on the Book of Micah, the Book of Zephaniah, and the Book of Habakkuk, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc., ©1991).

Daniel and Ezekiel prophesied during the time of exile; Haggai and Zechariah prophesied in the days following exile as the people returned to their land, and by the time of Malachi, the final prophet in scriptural record before the birth of Christ, the people had become immoral and careless once again (taken from notes on the Book of Malachi, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Thomas Nelson, Inc., ©1991).

None of these godly men had an easy task; with fire in their hearts and tears in their eyes, they warned a rebellious people of God’s judgment.

As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience…

Although some of those prophets met with seasons of favor, none of them saw lifelong celebrity or fame. It didn’t matter; what did matter was the message God had branded upon their hearts.

Prophets had a unique manner of staying separated to God even as they connected with people. They were often loners who were misunderstood because of the message God gave to them and the methods by which He led them to share that message. They were the proverbial sore thumb, sticking out in the crowd. They were typically unpopular. They were rarely viewed as rock stars.

Although Isaiah enjoyed more favor than most of the others, it is traditionally thought that he was sawn in two under the reign of wicked king Manasseh. Daniel, another more favored prophet, was deported to Babylon as a teen at the beginning of the captivity of Jerusalem, never to return home. Ancient historian Josephus wrote that this godly youth was likely made a eunuch early in his captivity (see http://www.biblestudy.org/question/what-is-a-eunuch.html), and as an older man under the reign of Darius the Mede, Daniel was thrown into a den of lions. His crime? He violated the edict created to ensnare him by jealous satraps and governors—he prayed to the one true God instead of the king. Isaiah and Daniel each patiently served God in their time and were both willing to suffer death if necessary to maintain their loyalty to Him alone.

God directed Hosea to disrupt his domestic peace and article source expose himself to heartbreak by marrying a prostitute.  In this way, Hosea’s life became a living sermon about the agonizing waywardness of God’s people and the greatness of His mercy, forgiveness, and love.

And then there was Jeremiah. Called as a young man, Jeremiah was immediately informed by God that his message would not be well-received. The Lord told him, “Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:8). He also said, “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you” (verse 19).

He was commanded by God not to marry and to remain childless as a sign of the destruction coming upon his generation (see Jeremiah 16:1-4). When Jeremiah prophesied in the court of the Lord’s house about the coming doom, the son of the priest struck him and put him in stocks outside at the gate, leaving him there all day and all night (see Jeremiah 20:1-3). When he later prophesied concerning King Zedekiah’s soon undoing, he was imprisoned within the king’s house (see Jeremiah 32:1-3).

While in prison, Jeremiah continued prophesying, not shrinking back from the word of the Lord despite the consequences. The king’s officials begged Zedekiah, “Now let this man be put to death, inasmuch as he is discouraging the men of war who are left in this city and all the people, by speaking such words to them; for this man is not seeking the well-being of this people but rather their harm” (Jeremiah 38:4). The king responded, “He is in your hand,” so they took the prophet and threw him in a dungeon filled with mire—deep, slimy mud (and who knows what else)—leaving him there to die (see verses 5-6). But, praise God, an Ethiopian eunuch, Ebed-Melech, pleaded for Jeremiah’s life before the king, and in response, Zedekiah ordered the release of the prophet (see verses 7-13).

James wrote, “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.” You have a rich heritage, passed down from men of faith, running through your veins. Stand fast in that Truth; it is the Word of life that can set men free. Cling tightly to Jesus; He is the Rock that will never roll; He will never leave you or forsake you.

Dorothy

And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and lefestindeve.fr medicaments en vente libre cialis because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. Revelation 12:11