August 9, 2020 | Pastor Nathan Elms
As believers, we strive to value our lives in terms of the spiritual…
The thing that most represents the things of this world is money.
But what gives money value?
That does not mean that the money has no value. It means that the money only has value in the system that values it.
If you were in a wilderness neither the dollars or the gold would help you at all. If, however, you were in the “system” you could turn the paper or the gold into shelter and food.
Because in a “system” that values money, you can turn money into anything…
But if the “system” is gone, the money has no value…
We separate the worldly from the spiritual… Jesus used the worldly to teach about the spiritual…
Are you ready for a surprise? Your money is a test.
Hoarding
This is not about savings or having life insurance policies. It’s wise to save rather than spend everything. Proverbs 30 says even tiny ants are wise enough to store something from summer to get them through the winter. This is about hoarding as a way to comfort your soul...
Holding Back
Withholding what’s right. In verse 4 James says they’re keeping back what should be given. Cheating, defrauding others of their fair share. This for us would mean not only charity but unethical, unfair, unecological trade. Either setting up business that’s bad for people and the planet or benefiting from it and not caring, because it gives me the lifestyle I want.
Hogging
There’s no other word that comes to mind as James describes piggy individuals, living high on the hog: “You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.”
But it’s also the good life that is advertised to us every single day. Look at some of the words more closely, as we check what matters most to us.
Remember that wealth depends upon its system of wealth. It becomes valueless outside of its system.
We want spiritual coin. Who is valuable in God’s kingdom?
This is the war within...
What are we trying to fill our hearts with? What matters most to us? Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.”
For the wicked wealthy—this life is as good as it gets. The closest thing to heaven. For those who love Jesus and follow him—this life is the worst it gets.
