JAMES 5:1-6
SATURDAY, MAY 12, 2007
"A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT"
1 Come now, you
rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2
Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold
and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against
you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in
the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields,
which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have
reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. 5 You have lived on the earth
in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of
slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not
resist you. James 5:1-6 (NKJV)
A NOTE FROM RON - Most of the time I choose--at random--passages from
Scripture without a particular reason. There are times when I feel that
God has led me to choose a passage needed by someone who might use these
devotions. Occasionally, I like to do a series that covers every verse
of a Book of the Bible so that the devotions can also be used as an aid
in Bible Study. Recently I did such a series on the
First Epistle of John.
These can be found in the
ARCHIVES of Prayer and Devotions. I
like to choose Books of the Bible that are less often read and/or
studied. This is the thirteenth devotion of a series on the Book of James. It
is my hope that these words may be an instrument of God in helping you
to draw nearer to Him.
Somewhere from the deep reaches of my memory this phrase just emerged. I
believe it was a High School English teacher who would be talking about
an assignment or a test, then turn to the class and say, "A word to the
wise is sufficient." Every student in that room knew that tomorrow there
would be a test on the pages of the book we were reading. Those who took
the hint, went home, studied, and received a good grade. Those who
ignored the hint and did not study, received a very low grade. Not only
that, but those who received the low grades often complained that the
test was way too difficult.
As we read these 6 verses of the 5th Chapter of James, there are some
things that we should note:
If we are rich, we are not all included in these harsh words. It is not
what you have; it is what you do with what you have that is either
pleasing to God or condemned by Him.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
If we are poor, we cannot say that these words do not apply to us. It is
not what we have, but what we do with what we have, that is either
pleasing to God or condemned by Him.
A word to the wise is sufficient.
Think of the rich that are so greedy they seek to take away from those
who struggle just to live. Is it right that the rich who control certain
businesses:
– charge a late fee of $39.00 or more if a payment is even one day late? If the due date is a day on which mail is not delivered, it makes no difference.
– change from listing an exact due date to Payment on receipt so they can place a late charge at the time of their choosing?
– charge a high rate for cashing a check and holding it for a few days?
And are we equally guilty if we profit from these companies through stock or in whatever way and do not raise our voices in protest?
A word to the wise is sufficient.
WE PRAY: LORD, help me to understand that all I have comes from you. May
my prayer join with others who say or sing:
We give Thee but Thine own,
Whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from Thee.
May we Thy bounties thus
As stewards true receive,
And gladly, as Thou blessest us,
To Thee our first fruits give. AMEN.
A SUGGESTION FOR LIVING THE DEVOTION
When I hear of a need that someone has, do I respond that I don’t have
the money to spare? It might be well to ask yourself this question? Am I
spending money on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis for something that I
really don’t need?