I’ve never had a Bible study step on my toes, smack my face, and slap my hand the way Beth Moore’s latest offering entitled, James: Mercy Triumphs, is doing. Oh sweet mercy!! It is getting so far up into my business that it is not even funny.
First off, James is all about reaching out to the poor. I talked about the wave of conviction that brought to my heart HERE. Now, I find that James seems to have paid a visit to my home, looking in my basement, closets, and cabinets. I’m not sure what to make of a visitor being so bold as to point their finger at me and call me a hoarder, but that certainly seems to be what is going on here.
What’s that? You don’t think James visited me? Hold your horses right there and let me share with you what I’m talking about here. Consider James’ words from chapter 5, verse 3:
3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
Many commentators believe James was talking to wealthy NON-CHRISTIANS in this passage. He is railing against employers who don’t pay their employees the wages they earned. I don’t fit into either of those categories.
What ate my lunch, however, is the last sentence in verse 3. “You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” Wealth can mean so much more than money. It can mean possessions—material, spiritual, or even emotional. We, in America, are rich by the world’s standards. Even our poorest, are often richer than most who live in third world countries. The little girls I sponsor through Compassion International live in an area of Tanzania where the average monthly income is around $17.
Why does that little sentence ‘you have hoarded wealth’ clean my clock? In the James study, Beth told us that many commentators suggest that hoarding is not only having too much stuff, but also having stuff that you don’t use. When I read that I was sick to my stomach. I am guilty!
Let’s take inventory here:
- Purses? Yep. I have several that I never carry. Someone could be using them.
- Clothes? Big yes!! I have many pieces of clothing, as well as coats, that I no longer wear. Someone could be using them.
- Shoes? Oh yeah! Those need to be on feet that could be wearing them.
- Dishes? Pots? Pans? Umm, yes ma’am. All taking up cabinet space and sitting unused. Somewhere someone needs something to eat off of.
- Blankets? Stacks of ‘em. Winter is here and someone could be warm beneath them.
- Maybe even a piece or two of furniture.
- Money? I truly believe in biblical saving of our money, but when it comes to earning and saving, how much is enough and how much is too much? I cannot answer this question for you, because it is different for each person. However, when the Lord brings people across our paths who are truly in need, we should be generous with the money the Lord has entrusted to us and help those people. It is wrong to hoard our money when we are aware of a need in another person’s life. In fact, our money is not ours…it all belongs to the Lord. Everything we have belongs to God.
Consider what might be hoarded other than material possessions?
Love?? Could it be we hoard love from those who need the unconditional love offered only by Jesus? So often we forget that Jesus showed love to every kind of person imaginable, even those who differed with Him. We are liberal with love for those who are like us, but for those who do not look, act, or smell like us, the love well often dries up, doesn’t it?
Mercy? Grace? Yes, I am super-guilty of this one. Offering mercy is something I have to be very intentional about. I have been given so stinkin’ much mercy by God in my life. He has forgiven me for so much when, in reality, He should have just turned His back on me. How in the world could I be so selfish and self-righteous as to not offer mercy to other people? Grace is giving someone something they do not deserve. I am a wee bit better at this than the mercy part, but still, I have been guilty of withholding grace when it desperately needed to be offered.
Emotional availability? Now, there’s something that can be hoarded in painful quantities. A wife can make sure her husband gets little emotional attention. A parent can hoard emotions from their kids. Kids from parents. Friend from friend.
Food? If you are reading this post, you probably have an ample supply of food in your pantry. Have you called your local food pantry to see what is needed to help those who are having trouble paying bills and feeding their family? I have taken food to our local food pantry a few times and they are always so very grateful. It doesn’t take much effort to buy a few extra items at the grocery for the food pantry. It could be the difference in a family….a child…having a meal or going to bed hungry.
Time? Ouch!! This one hurts me particularly because I am very protective with my time. Everyone is busy and often we don’t take the time to really look other people in the eye and be present with them. We rush from one obligation to the next, rarely stopping long enough to really engage with those we meet. People long for us to be present and available. Jesus was a master at this.
I hope you get my point. You and I need to examine our lives to see if we are hoarding anything. If we are and if we want to look like Jesus, we are wise to give it away to those who need whatever it is.
MEDITATION MOMENT: What are you hoarding? What needs to go in your life and home?
