DEBT

"Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth" (James 5:4).

 

Just one question: Do you owe anyone anything? Employees? Service Providers? Creditors? God would have you and I make good on all of our debts especially to those who maybe suffering hardship as a result of our withholding what is rightfully owed. Maybe you haven't paid because you can't pay or for some other legitimate reason.

 

Pray about it today, and if nothing else, at least communicate with those you owe. Make a plan to begin setting things in order.

TREASURE

"Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. it is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!" (James 5:4).

 

This is not a very "happy" verse. It's a loud warning against "storing up" treasure while at the same time ignoring the needs of people that God has placed around us. The gold and silver "witness against you". and "consume your flesh like fire". God is the one who gives us our resources and He is the one who knows best how to invest those resources. He has promised to provide for us as we graciously share what He has given to us. We are blessed in order to be a blessing!

 

Jesus says, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21). Invest in heaven! Your investments reveal your priorities. What are you investing your resources in? Heaven? or Earth?

 

If God gave you a million dollars, would you be willing to invest $100,000 in God's kingdom while keeping the rest? Would you make that deal? Or what if God gave you $100,000, would you be willing to invest $10,000 in the kingdom while keeping the rest? Here is the real test: Are you willing to invest a tenth of what God gives you this week (whatever it is) in God's kingdom while keeping the rest? If so, then Jesus will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things" (Matthew 25:21, 23). God will not trust you with a lot, if He can't trust you with a little!

 

Today, determine to invest 10% of everything that God brings your way into His kingdom. Read Malachi 3:8-12 and put it to the test.

RICHES

"Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten" (James 5:2).

 

Do you ever feel like your money is disappearing faster than you can earn it? Our culture values wealth, in part because wealth provides a perceived sense of security and well-being. All of us would prefer to have a lot of money at our disposal as opposed to living in financial need. We believe that wealth equals security. God, on the other hand, insists that He alone is our security and that if we put our trust in stuff--then we will end up miserable. James says that misery is coming upon the rich (see 5:1) because their riches have rotted. We live in a day when we see the reality of financial futility. The stock market in a single day can destroy one's life-savings (or perhaps a car repair). The alternative to trusting in your stuff is to trust God with your stuff--to invest in God's kingdom with your resources and to trust that God will provide for your needs. He has promised to open up the windows of heaven and to pour out blessings upon you in response to your kingdom investments (Malachi 3:8-12).

 

What will you invest in this week? Will you commit to give God a tenth of all that He gives you? Tina and I have found that our money goes farther and lasts longer when we are faithful to give God his share first. By the way, you don't have to wait until Sunday to give. The very moment that you get paid or that you receive resources, you can immediately go online and invest in the kingdom of God through Grace River or some other ministry that you care about. Give it a try today.

MISERY

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you" (James 5:1).

 

If you are rich--then misery is coming! Why? Because wealth can never provide true happiness. And even if it does provide some sense of stability--it is easily lost, which of course results in misery. So, if you don't have any money--rejoice and be glad! lol--I know, that's hard to do! The point of the verse is that if you put your trust in your resources--finances, possessions, stuff, etc.--then you are headed for big trouble. You are choosing money as the god of your life and thus you are rejecting the true God. Trust me on this, God loves you too much to let you get away with it. Misery is coming...

 

Today, look for an opportunity to value God as more important than your stuff. Maybe you can do that by sacrificially helping someone or by giving a treasure away. Perhaps it is as simple as buying someone's coffee or leaving an extra-large tip. I'm sure that God will think of something...

PRIORITY

"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin" (James 4:17).

Our verse today declares that It is sin to know the right thing to do and then not to do it! So, what exactly is the right thing? Simply put, "the right thing" is always whatever the will of God is. "The right thing" is revealed by the Holy Spirit through Scripture, through circumstances, through the church, and through prayer. You will always KNOW what "the right thing" is, when you need to do it. "The right thing" is whatever God is doing at the moment. By the way, God will often interupt something that you are doing, that you think is important, in order to invite you to join Him in His work. You will have to decide what you want to do--"the right thing" or something else.

Today, invite God to show you "the right thing". Then look for it--and join God in doing it!

BOASTING

"But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil" (James 4:16).

 

The word "arrogance" in today's verse carries the idea of empty and bragging talk. It is trusting in your own power and resources. It is trusting in the stability of this world and it's systems. This kind of misguided trust is declared to be evil--or detrimental. It is detrimental because neither you nor the world can be trusted--only God has the power necessary to guarantee any certain outcome. Trust in anyone or anything else, other than God, is futile.

 

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Do not trust the world!

 

Today, practice trusting God! What plans are failing? What people are failing? Though everything you believe to be secure may fail--boldly declare "The Lord will not fail me"! Boast in the Lord today!

PLANNING

"Instead, you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that'" (James 4:15).

When I was boy, I remember the older saints would often include, "Lord willing", whenever they made a statement concerning the future. You may have heard, "Lord willing and the creeks don't rise". We don't use, "Lord willing", much anymore. "Lord willing" is not a fatalistic statement accompanied by the throwing of our hands up in the air as if we had no ability to influence our future. We do have choices to make that influence our future. "Lord willing" is a faith-filled declaration that in spite of our works (and best intentions)--we don't control the future. It's ultimately out of our hands. There is a God and you're not Him! "We can make our plans but it is the Lord who determines our steps" (Proverbs 16:9). Truth is, "Lord willing" takes some of the pressure off. Not everything depends on you getting it right. Not everything fails if you fall.

Today, see if you can work "Lord willing" into your vocabulary. If nothing else, it will remind you of who is really in charge.

LIFE

"Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away" (James 4:14).

Here's the problem with worrying about tomorrow--you don't know what is actually going to happen tomorrow--or even if you will have a tomorrow. Life is brief, it's fragile, and life is filled with the unexpected. You don't know...so, enjoy today without wasting time worrying about tomorrow. I like that song that says, "Live like you are dying". Life is precious and this moment may be your last moment on planet Earth--so enjoy it.

Repeat outloud after me: "I...(your name)...will...enjoy...every...moment...of...this...day...because...it...is...a...gift...from...God"

PRESUMPTION

"Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit'" (James 4:13).

Presumption is arrogance--empty of power and full of bragging. Presumption is to trust in our own power and resources. It is to trust in the stability of this world's systems. It leaves God out of the equation and states a certain outcome when in fact none can be assured. Jerry Bridges says that, "Faith in Christ and a reliance on ourselves are mutually exclusive". Your plans, without certain knowledge of God's will, are futile--empty and meaningless.

Allow me to suggest instead, "Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time..." Give it a try today.

JUDGEMENT

"There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?" (James 4:12).

The only one who is able to correctly judge is the very one who wrote the law that judgement is based upon. The rest of us get it wrong. We don't completely understand the Spirit of the law and consequently we often miss the point--emphasizing aspects of the law in a way that God does not. Our biases enter in and we tend to judge harshly sins that we don't have and ignore sins that we do have. Hence, the church often condemns alcoholics and homosexuals and excuses the greedy and the gluttons. In addition to being the lawgiver, the judge also needs to possess the ability to save and to destroy. In other words, the judge can do something about violations of the law, rather than just pointing them out. The judge can save law-breakers or the judge can destroy them. Only God can do this! Only God can give life and only God can take life! Only God gives the law and therefore, only God can judge our obedience to the law. Paul even says in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4, "I don't care if you or anyone else judges me. I don't even judge myself. I am only judged by the Lord!"

Let me suggest that today be a judgement-free day--a day when we let people up when they make mistakes or when they offend us. Just let it go.

SLANDER

"Do not speak against one another, brethren.  He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it" (James 4:11).

To criticize someone is to make a value judgement concerning them and to set yourself up as their judge.  The problem with that is that you are not their judge--only God is!  To judge is to set yourself above the one you are judging and is to demonstrate that you think that you know better than God.  Criticism (judging) devalues the object of your criticism and thus sets you in opposition to God (who values everyone) and in opposition to the law (which also values humanity).  Our God-given task is not to evaluate others obedience to God, but rather to focus solely on obeying the law of God ourselves.  

The Greek word for "devil" is "diabalos" and literally means "slanderer".  You don't want to join the devil in his work.  Rather, resist him and he will run away (James 4:7).  The work of God is quite different from the devil's.  "God has given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).

T

oday, try avoiding criticism and try embracing reconciliation--not holding peoples faults against them.  To succeed you will have to turn off the auto-pilot and become conscious of your thoughts and actions.  Periodically today, stop what you are doing, and prayerfully allow the Spirit to evaluate your thoughts, your words, and your actions.

HUMILIATE

"Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you" (James 4:10).

Find a way to lower yourself and God will find a way to lift you up!  It's interesting to me that God doesn't say in this verse that He will humble us.  Instead, He says, "Humble yourselves".  Actually, I'm pretty good at that--assuming that humble is the same as humiliate.  Humble means to lower yourself--to get low, and so I think I'm on the right track with this.  Our tendency is to spend an enormous amount of energy attempting to exalt ourselves.  Can you say, "FUTILE"?  Only God exalts.  However, we can "lower" pretty good.  This sounds like grace to me.  Break it and God will fix it.  Fail and God will cause success.  Weak becomes strong.  Death becomes life.  Humiliation becomes exaltation.

So, if you mess up today and end up embarrassing yourself--maybe it's not so bad.  You're just practicing James 4:10.

FEELINGS

"Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom" (James 4:9).

What do you usually do when you feel bad?  I know what I do--I take some medicine or I try to find some diversion until I start to feel better.  I do something else to keep from feeling my pain, my despair, my sadness, or whatever it is--I get busy.  My counselor calls these band-aids "maladaptive coping mechanisms".  

But God says, "Feel your pain".  To get right down to it, The phrase, "Be miserable", in the text literally means, "Feel your hardship".  God wants us to feel it--and to express it--to openly mourn and to weep out-loud.  I've spent most of my life not feeling feelings.  They just weren't safe.  I learned as a little boy that it was easier just not to feel than it was to feel bad.  Of course, if I don't feel--then I can't feel good or bad.  I'm dead inside.  Through much counseling, through much Spirit-led soul-searching, and by working through the 12-steps of Celebrate Recovery, I have seen my feelings restored.  I cry a lot now--after all, I've got years to make up for.  There are no "bad" feelings and there are no "good" feelings.  There are just feelings--and they are all beneficial.  I don't have to fake laughter.  I don't have to fake joy.  I can feel...and I can live...and so can you.

Today, try to become aware of your feelings throughout the day (good, bad, and otherwise).  Feel them and express them to those you trust.  Don't fake it!  Rather, experience God through it.

INTIMACY

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8).

This verse contains three imperatives (commands): #1--Draw near to God, #2--Wash your hands, and #3--Wash your heart.

The promise is that if you move closer to God--that He will also move closer to you.  As you submit to His purposes (vs your own) and humble yourself before His authority (vs your own), you will discover that you are coming into His presence more intimately than you ever imagined possible.  This is what you were made for--an intimate relationship with God.

In the presence of God you will recognize your own short-comings from His perspective.  You will affirm your sinner status and you will want to do something about it.  The command is to wash your hands.  In Celebrate Recovery, we are taught to take a fearless moral inventory that involves making a list of those that we have harmed and those that have harmed us.  This is a confession to God and a confession to ourselves of offenses that we have committed and those that have been committed against us.  It is washing our hands.

The third command in James 4:8 is to purify your heart.  It needs to be washed because it is double-minded vs single-minded or Christ-minded.  In my experience, the act of making a moral inventory and then having the courage to share it with a trusted friend is what heals my double-minded heart.  This is painful and yet safe because God is a God of grace--He gives a greater grace (James 4:6).

Today, let me suggest that you draw near to God by humbling yourself.  As you live today, keep a piece of paper handy--make a list of offenses--both by you and against you.  Confess them as quickly as you become aware of them to the God of grace.  Trust me, if you will, then you will find an amazing intimacy with the Father today.  He will draw near to you!

SLANDER

"Submit therefore to God.  Resist he devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

I was told a long time ago that when you see a "therefore", you need to discover what the "therefore" is there for.  In this case, it points back to the previous verse (James 4:6), where we are reminded that God gives a greater grace, that He is opposed to the proud, and that he gives grace to the humble.

Because he is opposed to the proud and because he gives a greater grace (mega grace) to the humble--Humble yourself before God (submit to Him).  Allow God to have His way in your life without all of the kicking and screaming.  As they say, "Let go and let God".

Also, because of God's great grace, we should resist (literally in the Greek--"oppose") the devil and he will go away.  Now remember this is in the context of God's great grace.  The word "devil" literally in the Greek means "slanderer".  Listen...God loves you.  God forgives you.  God cleans you up.  God accepts you.  God exercises mega grace on your behalf.  Therefore, when you are slandered by someone, something, or even your own guilty conscience--oppose it!  Resist it!  

Let me also add that we need to be careful not to let the devil use our words to slander others.  Resist!  

Without question, today, you will have the opportunity to practice grace.  You will likely be slandered at some point and you will likely be tempted to slander.  Remember, God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.  Resist the devil and he will flee.  Go grace someone today (maybe start with yourself).