At our church here in Lubbock we’ve been going through the book of James. It’s been a really neat study and I wish Justin and I could have caught more of it. Yesterday, we discussed James 5:1-6. This passage is a warning to what our pastor Dusty referred to as the “unrighteously rich”. Basically it is a warning to those who selfishly spend their money. Generally this should be a warning to non-believers, however, unfortunately it also is a warning to many Christians today. We talked about the fine line between spending and saving. Obviously we need to be good stewards of our money. I need to save for my future children’s education and needs, for my retirement so I do not become a burden to our government, and for my final expenses upon death. However, saving beyond this seems to be foolish in many ways. The reason is because, most of the time, we save so we can spend more on ourselves. Example: I’m not going to tip so I can go to that concert coming up. As Dusty pointed out, according to this scripture, that’s a sin. We need to be generous with our money and use it for the glory of God. We then talked about WHY this is a struggle for Christians. When you really get down to it, it’s pride. I’m prideful and want more stuff for MYSELF, therefore I’m not generous with my money for others. I’m using it solely for myself because I’m prideful. It’s really an interesting thought when you really let it sink in. There are so many ways that I misuse my money because of my pride. It’s life-changing when you humbly accept your pride and try to rid yourself of it.
Try to find ways to better use your money for humanity and the kingdom of God.
Much love.
