Morning Moments

JAMES Devotional Outline

V. Miscellaneous Messes 5:1-20
A. External Pressue 5:1-12
1. Treasure 5:1-3
2. Treatment 5:4-11
a. Exploitation 5:4
b. Existentialism 5:5-6

5:5. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

You are the master of your own destiny and are only responsible for and to yourself, so live as it pleases you and don't worry about anyone else. Just be happy! Sound familiar? It should because that is the world's philosophy that is diametrically opposed to Christian faith and accountability to God.

James is saying that they have lived luxuriously and have set themselves up for slaughter by their indulgences and that by so doing they have metaphorically murdered the righteous who has not resisted them.

In other words, those who spoke against wordily indulgences were rejected and despised, demeaned and degraded and the reward for both is yet to come. For the one who is so careless about life - condemnation, but for the righteous - coronation. It is not over yet and those who think they have tasted the best that life can bring have yet to taste the bitter dregs of eternity. Contrariwise, those who have suffered the criticism and castigation of the pompous elite will enjoy far more for eternity than these enjoyed for a little time. It is a far greater thing to be rich in grace than to be rich in goods. Our eternal wealth far surpasses the wealth of this world which is but for a brief moment and is gone.

Let me see if I can make this practical for the reader. Even in today's "church" it is the rich who are sought out to "underwrite" the tremendous expense of having "church". After all, the average utility bill for the average mega church in one month is more than most of the rest of the world makes in a year. But as we were taught in the '60s, "the end justifies the means," which is situational ethics and we swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.

Why can't we see that today's "church" is as the church of the Laodiceans, rich and increased with goods and in need of nothing. I remember Leonard Ravenhill preaching in one of these churches in the early '70s and saying, "This is a sick church." Can you imagine that? He had been scheduled for two weeks, but was cancelled after one week. We want to hear how successful we are, not how sick we are. Maybe God is the one who is sick. At least that is what Jesus felt about that Laodicean bunch.

Remember James may be writing about the world but he is writing the Christian Jews who were scattered abroad in it and were being influenced by it. That should be warning enough for us today. We shall soon see.

BLESSINGS!