How rich are you?

For a time in the endWord, we are receiving some spiritual heart surgery as we look at the letter of James. He uncovers some of our more insidious, respectable sins and cautions us from fatally wandering from the truth (James 5:19-20).

When it comes to the big ones – ‘sex and drugs and rock ’n roll’ – we Christians often feel pretty good about ourselves compared to the world, and we may assume God feels the same way about us too.

However, sin is sin. And even though Christ has set us free from the absolute slavery and eternal consequences of our sin; even though the Holy Spirit dwells within us, this principle of sin – often in Scripture called the flesh – still lurks within us and rears its ugly head in our thoughts and attitudes, words and actions.

However, because we don’t think we are anything like as bad as the world, we often fail to reckon with those subtle yet deadly sins still dwelling in us and allow them grow in us like a cancer.

We know that God’s will for our lives is to transform us into the likeness of the Lord Jesus (e.g.1 John 2:6; Rom. 8:29; Gal. 2:20; 1 Cor.11:1).

Sadly, our will for our lives is often very different: we want happiness, status, comfort, prosperity, ease, health in this life.

Well, James says our hearts are divided. We are double minded (James 4:4).We may say we love God, but we love ourselves and what the world has to offer much more. We are two-timers.

So, James goes on to uncover

Respectable Sin #2

Financial and social standing (My wrong attitude towards God in status.)

Here’s an area, James says, where we will be tempted to mistrust God’s goodness – where we will be likely to be double-minded.

Much of our life is taken up with money matters, isn’t it? Earning enough to feed ourselves and our families, create a nice living environment, run a car, buy clothes, holidays, haircuts, etc. We’ve got to live. But it is our attitude to these things that reveals the state of our heart.

First, James looks at our attitude to poverty (1:9). He writes: ‘Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.’ ‘What high position?’ the poor Christian may mumble.

Well… flip over to chapter 2 verse 5: ‘Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?’

Christians who are poor in the eyes of the world can learn in reality what it means to trust God to provide for their needs. There are countless testimonies of God providing for His children in need just what is necessary and just at the right time. And it’s a virtuous circle: as they exercise their faith in God, cry out to Him and see Him provide, their faith grows stronger, they learn perseverance (James1:2-4). They become more like Jesus.

After that – what an amazing inheritance the poor Christian has waiting for them beyond the grave.

Because of Christ’s ultimate poverty and humiliation (He knows all about humble circumstances), He has won for them the kingdom of heaven!

Will that incredible future reality shape their thinking or will they be proudly double minded? Will they actually feel hard done by, not content – envious of those who have more? The temptation is obvious, isn’t it. One of the measures of status in our culture is: ‘How rich are you?’

Yet we are fools if we fall for the trap of caring what the world thinks is worthwhile whilst ignoring God’s assessment of what is valuable.

The poor and lowly are so precious to the Lord God (Ps.72:12-14) – but will we believe that? Respectable Sin #1 was diagnosed in July and #3 will be looked at in the November issue.