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Another Sunday afternoon in the works!! Go, Me!! LOL First of all, I'd like to wish everyone a belated Happy Thanksgiving. I hope your day went well. Mine was fairly quiet, as usual in recent years. Just me, Rob, and my parents. We watched the Macy's Parade over breakfast and ate our meal at Rob's apartment just downstairs from mine*. (he has cable) After that was done, we came up to my place for games and dessert/supper. My ex, Rich, moved back to Maine with his dad last January, my son, Ben, moved to a different town in Maine at the same time. My oldest, Carissa, is still relatively local, for now, anyway. And my youngest, Jasmine, moved to Maine with her bf earlier this Fall or Late Summer. At least I got to video chat with my girls on Thanksgiving and my son visited yesterday. It's all good. Just pray for Ben's Jeep, though, he broke down on the way to Carissa's. Not sure what's going on there. Considering it's a 4 hr. trip home, I just hope he doesn't lose time off his job.
Have you ever lost money or been denied it by the unfair practices of others?? Have you been greedy and demanded more money than necessary from others?? This message is for all of you. I'm not sure that I've ever lost money unfairly myself, but I definitely haven't been greedy with it either. I'm not rich by the World's standards, I never have been. As to whether I may be better off in the future, only time will tell. This blog will be the source of it if I am... of that much, I'm sure.
The theme at Church this season is JOY!! That being the case, Pastor Matt had to decide if we would push "pause" on the James series until New Year's or stay the course and finish it. The more he looked at it, he decided to continue. Now I realize (as did he) that James isn't the first book people generally turn to when seeking "joy" in the Bible. But the truth is, that there's plenty to be found if we look at it from the right perspectives. That being said, let's dig in --
James 5:1-6
New International Version
Warning to Rich Oppressors 5 Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. 2 Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. 4 Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. 5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.[a] 6 You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.
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As we just saw above, James isn't the "chart topper" for books on joy, but if you'll take a second and remember; you'll realize that the very first verse in Chapter One tells us to what?? Yep, "Count it all joy as you go through trials and temptations..." right?? It's counter-intuitive, I know, but here's the thing, the fact that God is using our troubles to shape and perfect us in Him, is the truest source of joy there is!! Literally nothing else we can do on Earth comes close to equaling it. No amount of partying, or friends, achievements, or even money can match it. And that's what it all comes down to in this world, isn't it?? The old dollar. Moula, pesos, cabbage, dinero, "Benjamins", etc... whatever you want to call it. We either have more than we need or need more than we have to live a "decent" lifestyle*. Either way, we're not satisfied. At least most people aren't. And that's what God, through James, is talking about in today's passage.
Now most of the times I've heard this passage preached on, the focus has been on judging the Rich. There are preachers out there who will say that it's a sin to have more money or possessions than you need to survive. The old attitude of, "just us two"... (I can't think of it rn, but we've probably all heard it) The fact is, that's a selfish, ungodly perspective. How many places does the Bible talk about sharing with others?? That giving/sharing is supposed to be sacrificial to a point, but not to the point of not maintaining your responsibilities*. The point is that we should have enough for a balance of each.
What this passage is really about is Jesus' invitation to "untangle" us from the trap of equating money with self-worth. His invitation offers freedom to breathe "clear air" rather than "swimming" or even "drowning" in the lies of the World by giving us the chance to identify as Sons and Daughters in Him. That's where our true value in life actually lies.
There are two groups of people James is addressing in today's passage.
Oppressive landowners -- The key thing to notice here is that God is not judging the money. Only those who use money to oppress others. He's judging the hearts of the people, not the tools they are wielding for good or evil. So therefore, we can conclude that God doesn't have a problem with people being rich*, He just wants the methods and motives to be pure. Those being addressed here are not only rich, but non-believers. You may notice the "Old Testament Prophet" style James is using here. Words like, "weeping" and "wailing" are reminiscent of Elijah or Ezekiel in speaking to rebellious Israelites. And just so we're getting the full context here, his use of the word, "murder" in relation to withheld wages was not extreme or "overboard". The workers being paid unfairly were day-laborers. If they weren't paid, they didn't eat, and they would die. (today, we have places like Labor Ready or People Ready that operate the same way)
Poor Believers -- Keeping in mind that many of those James was talking to in this letter were Jewish believers who had been forced into other lands; we see that James is encouraging them not to pursue riches in the same way as their foreign peers were doing*. Or at least not be jealous of the riches the "locals" had. Israelis had been in the habit of pursuing foreign wealth throughout their history. The encouragement for them in their time as well as for us in ours is seen in the 2nd part of verse 4. "The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty." God hears the cries of the poor and oppressed!! He has not forgotten us!! (See, Joy!!) :D
The truth is, everyone is potentially susceptible to the entanglement of equating wealth to worth. Money/Materialism = status = worth. That's the World System that is our current reality. If we have a lot of money, we may want more and we may not care who we harm to get it. If we don't, we may be obsessed with gaining it by any means possible*. It can become a "fraudulent god" in our lives if we're not careful.
We believers have the option readily available to us of the "clear air" rather than the "ocean water" as we trust in God for our every need. But in order to see this clearly, we need to rid ourselves of the myopic view that right here and now is all there is. We need to remember that we are living in the in between stage of the Last Days. Eternal Life starts when we accept Jesus, and continues into forever upon His Return. It's the place of, "already" but "not yet". We think about the dash between the years on our gravestones as the "sum total" of our lives, but as important as that time is, we still have the remainder of Eternity ahead of us beyond that. The fact is, that when Jesus does come back, He will judge everyone's lives righteously and perfectly*. He will set everything right that's gone wrong. Non-believers have the option of the "clear air" as well, but they have to accept Jesus' Salvation before they can get access.
When it comes down to it, wealth just doesn't have any capacity to increase or improve our standing with God like it can with people. In our lack, as mentioned above, we may have a tendency to pursue wealth at all costs. We need to remember that God judges the pursuit of wealth only as it is used to steal from or otherwise oppress others. It's important that we even pay attention to the sources of what we buy*. God judges what we gain, keep, and consume. At the same time, we can be encouraged by the fact that God is near enough to us to hear our cries. We grapple with the issues of wealth because it is important to God. Our true security, purpose, and worth lie in Him, not in money.
So what are some practical ways we can "refocus" on God rather than wealth?? Two major ways are as follows --
Gratitude -- This shifts our focus away from our feelings of jealousy for what others may have that we desire and the resulting discontent we have with our lives. The whole, "attitude of gratitude" thing is for real, people!! And we literally just acted on this a few days ago, right??
Generosity -- This brings us out of the materialistic mind-set we can so easily fall into. And remember that it's supposed to cost us something. Now whether that "something" is money, time, or talents is entirely our choice, but the point lies in the fact that we're not giving out of our "extra" like the people in the story of the Widow's Mite in Mark 12:41. Also remember the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Matt. 19:16-30.
These practices will bring joy rather than struggling into your life whether you're at the top or bottom of life's game. -- God Bless!! (and remember to read your Advent Devotional)
Footnotes --
Rob's apartment is literally right below mine!! My floor is his ceiling!! One time, a while back he scraped one of my dining chairs across the floor and said, "it's okay, I'll hear that later when I go downstairs." LOL LOL LOL
The old Styx song, "Grand Illusion" comes to mind here. Take a listen and you'll see what I mean... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcGP0nXPQ70
Sacrificial giving -- There are dozens of verses on giving in the Bible this list covers 20 of them -- https://pushpay.com/blog/20-bible-verses-on-generosity/ You'll see a pattern here of ability and willingness. No coercion to do more than you decide, but encouragement to do something. That's one thing I learned several Churches ago. Never refuse anyone's offer of generosity or you'll steal the blessing God will return into their life. (don't demand gas money, but accept it if offered)
God doesn't have a problem with people being rich -- See above list and combine that with verses such as John 10:10 and 3 John 1:2. "Life abundantly" means both physical and spiritual. "Prosper even as your soul prospers..." Your soul can't really "prosper" if you're not able to cover your bills. I mean, yes, we have faith in all circumstances, but God expects us to be responsible with what we earn and not have negative circumstances in the first place. (of course, if God speaks to you to do something specific, then trust Him, but that's different) We shouldn't need to struggle all the time.
Israelis pursuing wealth -- I saw an interesting post on Pinterest last night in this theme. I can't find it rn, but it basically said that the reason Jews have historically been viewed as greedy with money is that they were allowed to charge interest to non-Jews when Christians weren't allowed to charge any at all.
We may pursue wealth by any means possible... Remember a while back when we talked about Lottery Tickets??
Jesus will judge all upon His return. -- There are those who believe in praying for their deceased ancestors because of verses like this. I don't agree with them. If you look to the Parables of the 10 Virgins and the Narrow Door, they make it clear that Salvation needs to be sought while we're alive. Only then can our Eternal Destiny become Heaven. Once we're dead, it's too late. I've chatted with a guy on MeWe who makes the related point that if we accept Jesus now, we have the promise of Salvation, but the reality of our Eternal Life of Salvation isn't "delivered" until Jesus' return. That I can agree with. (see verses like 2 Tim. 1:12 "I know Whom I've believed and am sealed unto the day...")
Pay attention to what we buy -- I have to confess that I don't pay attention to that really at all. I'm not really in a position where I can. I shop second-hand and discount clearance racks. The old saying that, "beggars can't be choosers" applies to me.
Music -- no rights, etc...
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